Opposing Sides
by Esprit de L'eau
Summary: AU Ranger. Tyrant King Euron rules with an iron fist and holds an insatiable thirst for conquest. Magician Minami swears revenge on the King for plundering her hometown. But who is the new knight skilled in combat and magic? Mainly ObliviaShipping
1. Minami

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon Ranger belongs to Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc. and Hal Laboratory

**A/N:** Finally. My own Pokemon Ranger fic 8D First, I'm severely disappointed by the lack of Pokemon Ranger fics. Especially good ones. Second, it is OBLIVIASHIPPING! Which also means it contains spoilers (well, for the characters anyway) for the latest Ranger game. Third, it's _a little_ based on Daughter of Evil. Fourth, happy reading  


* * *

Soldiers surrounded the town slowly, the sounds of the wildlife around them covering the sounds they made. Overhead, the moon cast a soft glow to illuminate their target. A soldier lighted a candle in a lantern and hung it on a tree. Another soldier held up a mirror and reflected the light of the candle towards the other side of the town.

Across town, one of the soldiers who was already in place yawned widely. "Are they done?" he asked. "I've been sitting here for some time now. I wanna see some action, light something on fire. You know?"

His comrade beside him laughed. "We will get that chance. After all, the King is bent on expanding his empire. What to start first than to take over and terrorize the main town of Oblivia?"

"He IS already ruling Oblivia. Well, partially. The past 2 invasions of Kokona and Naname Village do not count," the first soldier grumbled. "Here's to hoping that Aqua Town is more exciting than the past two conquests. The villagers were no match for us."

"It's bigger, it has more stone, and it's the capital of Oblivia," the second soldier said. He suddenly jumped to his feet. "I think I see the signal. I'll go call the commander."

The second soldier left and returned with their leader. "Lord Purple Eye," the first soldier greeted the leader. "It seems like all the soldiers are already in position."

Intense purple eyes watched the mirror blinking in the far side of town. "Everybody in position!" he shouted. Everywhere, soldier scrambled for their weapons and stood at attention, waiting for the command. Their commander walked to the town's main entrance, marveling the simple construction. All these will fall to the great King Euron. "CHARGE!"

-o-o-o-o-o-

In a corner house of the same town, a young girl of about ten years slumbered peacefully. That is until her mother opened the door and began to shake her frantically. "Minami, wake up!" she said. "Come on we have to go."

The girl opened her brown eyes hazily. "What…?"

"Soldiers are attacking the town," her mother said as she dragged her daughter out of her bed. "We're going to hide in the cellar."

All sleepiness from the girl's eyes left abruptly. "Who's attacking us?" she asked as she was led down the stairs to the hidden entrance to the cellar. As mother and daughter assed by a window, she chanced a look outside. Fear dawned on her as she recognized a house that was on fire. "Mother! What about—"

"Worry about yourself first, Minami," her mother chided as she pulled a rug aside to reveal a hidden trapdoor. "We'll find him when the soldiers are gone ok?" She pulled the door open. "Grandmother is already inside. I'll join you soon."

Pushing her daughter into the trapdoor, she closed the cover and pulled the rug and table back over it.

Minami stopped on her tracks after her mother closed the trapdoor. Everywhere was darkness. "Grandmother…?" she called out tentatively. Taking a step forward, she inched her way down the wooden stairs.

"Grandmother are you there?"

"Minami?" an aged voice called out. "Is that you?"

Minami sighed in relief. "Grandmother! Thank goodness. Hold on, I'll light up the room. _Allumez_!"

Small orbs of light surrounded her and lined the earthen wall. With light, it was possible to find her grandmother sitting on a chair in a corner of the cellar. Minami jumped down the final steps and ran to her. "What's going on?" she asked as she sat down on the floor beside her grandmother.

Her grandmother stroked Minami's hair. "Euron's soldiers. They want to claim Aqua Town for their own."

"Isn't having Kokona and Naname Village enough?" Minami asked as her eyes started to well up with tears. "What does he want with Aqua Town?" She was briefly reminded of the scene she saw outside her house. "Oh Grandmother! His house… was on fire!"

The old woman watched sadly as the girl broke down. "You can't do anything until the soldiers have left," her grandmother consoled her. "All we can do is pray hard that his family had the sense to run before the fire started to devour the wood. Later when Euron's soldiers are gone, let's put out the fire in town. Meanwhile, show me what you have learned during the last lesson."

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was not until much later that a knock sounded on the trapdoor. "Minami? Are you in there?" came a muffled voice from above. Minami leapt up from her place and dashed up the steps. The trapdoor opened with little difficulty. It was strange, considering her mother had placed the table right over it earlier. She looked up to see the local rug weaver looking down at her.

"Mr Steward?" she asked in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Thank goodness," the rug weaver said, pulling open the trapdoor completely. "Your mother said you were here with your grandmother. It was lucky your house didn't get completely razed by fire. Your mother sent me to get you. The fire only burned the top level and half the main room but that was all. The debris blocked the second entrance to the cellar so she went to hide with us under the town fountain. You go help the rest of the villagers. I'll help your grandmother out."

Minami nodded as she climbed out of the trapdoor and ran out of her house. The first placed she stopped at was at the house she saw on fire much earlier. There was not much left of it. All that remained were charred remains of the house foundations. She ran towards the town hall where most people gathered. The first person she saw was her mother.

"Mother!" she called out. Running towards her, she hugged her mother tightly for fear that it may be an illusion. "I was so afraid…"

"It's alright now Minami," her mother assured, hugging her daughter. "The soldiers have left." She pulled away slightly to see her daughter on the brink of crying. "What's wrong?"

"Where is he?" Minami asked. "I saw his house. It was completely burned to the ground. Where's Natsu—" She stopped midsentence when she saw the look on her mother's face.

"Sorry Minami," she said. "Someone claimed to have seen him run for it just before the fire grew bigger. But nobody has seen him since then. He could be… I don't know. Captured, or even killed for all we know." She patted her daughter sadly as the girl cried. Losing a friend never felt nice. She waited till her daughter's sobs subsided somewhat. "It's going to be fine now. You're the only junior magician in town now. Go help the other magicians in putting out the fires ok?"

Minami nodded and pulled away from her mother. Everything was not going to be fine, she just knew it. Not since the tyrant king set his sights on her town.

* * *

_8 years later…_

A loud knock sounded on the wooden door to her room. "Minami, wake up," Hinata called. "Come on, it's time to open the shop." Silence. "Look, if you're not getting up, I'm coming in to wake you up. And you're not going to like it."

The door swung open slowly to reveal another girl slightly younger than her with messy brown hair. "Wha… Oh, it's just you," Minami said and yawned briefly. "Get Hitomi to open with you or something. I was up all night."

Hinata scoffed. "Because you insisted on finishing that thing Kira asked you to do in one night. You're not someone who doesn't need sleep, you know. Even for a magician. Here." She placed her hand on Minami's head. Blue sparkles radiated from her hand for a moment before she removed them. "The anti-sleep spell wears off after a couple of hours. In case you forgotten, Hitomi went back to Almia last night. But you wouldn't remember it because you were up all night busy with some complicated spell."

"Oh," was the only answer the brown-haired magician gave. "Sorry Hinata."

The blue-haired girl smiled. "That's more like it," she said. "After we set up everything you can go back to sleep, ok?" She heard a barely concealed 'just use magic' from her friend before heading downstairs. After setting up the usual bottles on the shelves, Minami reached the bottom of the stairs. "I'll put the labels on the bottles by the window. You do the cleaning," Hinata told her.

Half an hour later, both magicians had the small shop set up. Hinata pointed at the wooden sign. The sign flipped over on its own. "OPEN' was shown by the door. Minami slumped down on a chair.

"What exactly were you up to all night anyway?" Hinata asked, leaning against the wooden counter. "I know it's a request from Kira, but that's overdoing it."

Minami looked up into her friend's red eyes. "I'll do anything to bring that tyrant king down to his knees," she said with determination.

Hinata sighed and looked away for a moment. "Look, we're both in the revolt that are planning to overthrow the king. But what exactly do you have against the king? Other than he attacked your home town, like the rest of us in the revolution. He invaded Fiore so much later than you did and I don't have half the fierce will you have to fight for it."

Minami kept quiet for a moment. "Eight years ago, when he attacked my home town, my best friend was lost in the foray. People claimed to have seen him just before his house was razed to the ground. Nobody seen him since," she explained. "Both of us were studying to be magicians. He wanted to leave town to explore the world. He would never have the chance to."

Hinata did not say anything. "If your friend was seen running from his blazing house, chances are he survived the fire. And he was hiding alone, or with his family. If he was hiding alone, he wouldn't know when it's safe again. I wouldn't be so pessimistic if I were you. I used to think that Kazuki was also gone for good. Look what happened."

A smile cracked on Minami's somber face. "You and Kazuki were lucky," she said. "I haven't seen him ever since."

"No use brooding over it until you see with your own eyes that your friend really is dead," Hinata pointed out. "Meanwhile, we'll just man this shop, plan with Kira, defend villages from the King all while searching for your friend, ok?"

Minami nodded. Standing up, she went round the bookcase behind the counter. The calendar caught her eye. Today was the day. Exactly eight years when she saw Natsuya's house on fire in Aqua Town.

* * *

**A/N:** The 'Review' button is a friend XD I really am in need of criticism. It's been quite some time since I last wrote anything so I wanna see if I'm losing my touch.


	2. Natsuya

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything here except the plot

**A/N**: THANK ARCEUS! PEOPLE WHO KNOW POKEMON RANGER EXISTS! -is random but...- Sorry for the short piece, but that's sort of like a pattern. The starting gets insanely short and the ending is insanely long.  


* * *

He saw nothing but fire as it devoured everything in sight. He felt a hand tugging his arm. Glancing up, he saw a man pulling him towards a window. They were on the ground floor if he remembered correctly. The window was opened and he was thrown out roughly.

"Run for it!" the man shouted. "Go find the others!"

The little boy got up to his feet and ran, ignoring his abrasions on his arms. He turned around a corner only to find a tall intimidating figure standing in front of him. A soldier sent to the foray.

"Tornade!" he shouted. A tornado swept up the soldier and threw him elsewhere. He kept running. The town square was only a few streets away. If only he could reach there. He would be safe.

However, something grabbed his ankle when he was merely steps away from the town square. Losing balance, he fell on his arms. He kicked the offender hoping that the clamp around his ankle would let go. A sharp hiss of pain indicated that he hit his mark and his ankle was freed. Looking up briefly, he saw the town square swarming with soldiers. Without thinking he leapt to his feet and dashed towards an alley between two houses.

He ran and ran, and finally he reached the edge of the town. He crouched down behind a tree and watched the soldiers in town. There was only fear in him. Fear for his family, fear for his best friend. He sat there for a long time. When the town was mostly cleared of soldiers, he stood up. Pins and needles shot up his legs from crouching too long. He held on to the tree for support.

"HEY YOU!" a startled shout came up from somewhere to his right. "Who are you?"

The boy looked up, into the eyes of a soldier. In a moment of fright, he took a few steps backwards. The tree grew on the edge of a steep hill. His foot met air. He would keep his balance if his legs did not decide to collapse out of numbness. He fell through the dark night, his back meeting solid earth as he rolled down the slope. Somewhere along the way, his head hit something and was knocked out.

* * *

Natsuya woke up with a start. His room was still dark. However outside the window it was showing signs of light. Dawn was breaking and morning would follow soon after. He took a few quick breaths to calm his rapidly beating heart. _Wow, that was intense_, he thought as he lay back down on his bed. _Where was that town? How did I get there?_

He turned his head to the side to see that his brother was still asleep across the room. Technically, his adopted brother. Eight years ago, he had wound up in this house, with a head injury and with no memories of his past. Despite encouragement from both his saviours and their son, remembering his past memories made no progress. Eventually, they grew to like him and adopted him and he had been here ever since. Dwelling on his questionable past caused him to return to dreamland again.

That was, until his brother decided to wake him up. "NATSUYA!" his brother shouted as he leapt onto Natsuya's bed. "Get up, get up! Today's the day remember?"

"ARGH!" Natsuya let out a cry of shock when his brother's body collided into his. "Hajime! That wasn't fair!"

Hajime laughed as he climbed off. "Come on, where's the fun in that?"

A jet stream of water met his face instead. Hajime coughed when it subsided. "That was uncalled for, Natsuya. Just because you can somehow use magic. That makes us even alright?" he said, smiling cheerfully. "You're not in training school anymore. Today you're going to be assigned to a veteran knight as your instructor."

Horror dawned on Natsuya. "Why didn't you say earlier instead of just tackling me?" he demanded as he flew out of his bed to find his clothes. "You're evil. Pure evil, Hajime."

"As your older brother, I take that as a compliment," Hajime replied as he watched Natsuya race out of the room, hoping to get the bathroom first. "Just so you know, Mother has already cooked breakfast. I'll take you to the castle when you're done!" he called down the corridor. No answer. That was to be expected. Hajime left the room and went downstairs.

Natsuya appeared just as Hajime finished eating. "What took you so long?" Hajime demanded as he watched the other stuff food down his mouth. "I thought only Mother took that long to change."

"Hajime!" his mother scolded from the sink.

Hajime smiled. "I'm just teasing Natsuya here, Mother. Lighten up," he said. "I'll be taking Natsuya to the castle later. We'll be home for dinner if the initiation ceremony goes according to the time schedule."

"I'm done," Natsuya announced as he stood up. "See you later, Mother."

"Good luck, dear," she said as she hugged her adopted son. "I'll cook a feast to welcome a new knight in the family. Your father is going to be so proud. Now you two hurry off before Hayate makes a fuss again."

Hajime pulled Natsuya out of the door. "Will do! Bye!" he called, closing the door. Their house was situated halfway down the steep valley that separated Mount Sorberlas from Aqua Town. At the bottom of the valley was where Hajime's father had found Natsuya.

They walked for some time up the worn path of the slope before Natsuya asked, "Hajime, do dreams mean anything?"

Hajime scrunched up his face as he thought. "Well, dreams are usually the subconscious part of your mind thinking what it would be like in an ideal world and what goes. Sometimes, it can replay events from the past." He paused in his step as he pondered the last sentence. "Why?" he asked.

Natsuya shrugged. "I had an intense dream last night," he stated as he stopped a few steps in front of Hajime. "There was so much fire."

"Really?" his brother asked happily. "It could mean that something from your past is coming back to you. What do you remember? Other than the fire."

Natsuya cast his eyes downward. "I remember… Someone throwing me out of a window. Then there were so many soldiers in town. I ran outside town. And fell down a steep slope. That's all."

Disappointed at the lack of timeline, Hajime sighed. "Well, that's a first. At least you know something," he said. "Cheer up, bro. One day it'll come back to you."

Natsuya forced a smile. "Ok. 'Live for today' as always, right?" he recited something Hajime told him years ago.

"Hey, that's my line," Hajime said, trying to hit Natsuya for that. His younger brother dodged out of the way, laughing. He watched Natsuya tear up the path. He had grown from the timid little boy he knew when his father first brought him back, bleeding from a head wound. After he woke up, he did not remember where he came from, only his name. A few months after he woke up, he was shocked to find that Natsuya was able to wield magic. He caused water from the nearby river to soak the large garden they kept behind their house. His mother had panicked then. His father wanted to send Natsuya to further learn magic, but his mother stood her ground that nobody in the family will be a magician. Fortunately, Natsuya did not show much interest in further learning magic and took to combat easily.

But there was one thing that bothered him. Although it hardly happened, when Natsuya was sleeping, he would unconsciously call out for someone. He heard a couple of names, none of them he recognized. However the one he called out for most frequently was someone called 'Nami'. He did a background check on people living in Oblivia. There were quite a few girls named Nami in the entire empire, even girls whose full name contained that phrase. He gave up soon after. If Natsuya's memories were returning now, he can soon recall that name of the person he was always calling out for.

"Hajime! What're you dreaming about?" Natsuya demanded as he ran back. "Didn't you say Sir Hayate's going to throw a fit if we were late?"

"Alright alright," he said. "Let's cut through town. We can reach the castle faster."

* * *

**A/N:** Oh jeez. I completely forgot. Name legend:

Aqua Town – Supposed to be Aqua Resort. But I don't think it'll suit the theme well… So I somewhat modified it. Guardian Signs players should know the map of the place  
Purple Eye – Purple Eyes (Guardian Signs)  
Minami – Summer (Guardian Signs, female playable character)  
Mr Steward – Weber (Guardian Signs, rug weaver in Aqua Resort)  
Hinata – Solana (Ranger)  
Hitomi – Kate (Shadows of Almia, female playable character)  
Kira – Kira (the woman from the past mission from Rangers 3)  
Kazuki – Lunick (Ranger from Ring Town)  
Natsuya – Ben (Guardian Signs, male playable character)  
Hajime – Kellyn (Shadows of Almia, male playable character)  
Hayate - Spenser (leader of the Ring Town base in Ranger)


	3. Hajime, Shinbara

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon Ranger (sadly)

_A/N:_ I was supposed to update this the day before Halloween because I have a full schedule that day. But it somehow slipped my mind until today. Plus I have school (the 'joy') so I'm not sure when updates will be made. Irregularly, yes, but good news: I'm about done with chapter 4.

* * *

Minami woke up with a start. Hinata's spell had worn off a few hours earlier and she had been sleeping peacefully upstairs in her room. She blinked the sleepiness out of her eyes before changing to another more presentable outfit. She walked down the stairs just in time to see an elderly woman leave the shop.

Hinata saw her almost immediately. "Minami, you're up," she said. "Can you head to the marketplace to get more black nightshade?"

Minami frowned at the request. "Don't we have some in the garden?"

"Apparently they aren't ready for harvesting yet," Hinata explained. "And for my spells, they have to be harvested at half moon. Which you know is about a week away. I have a batch order and I really need that nightshade."

Minami shrugged. "Which part?" she asked.

"The whole thing. I can pick out which parts I need after that," Hinata said. "Oh, if you see Kazuki, tell him I said hi and I'm not free next week."

"Oh?" Minami smirked as she tied her hair into a simple ponytail. "Sounds like someone gotten herself a date."

"Wha-What? No! It's just that… Well… We haven't seen each other for a long time and… You know, catching up and stuff," Hinata stammered, obviously flustered. "Oh you are SO dead when you get back."

Minami laughed and skipped out of the door. "See you later," she called as the door closed behind her

* * *

Hajime forgot how crowded the town could be. Because of the King's iron fist rule, the people seemed to barely get along. And then again, this town depends mostly on trade from the sea. The port out of town served as a main business area. Sailors came to town for a look around in the Paradise Land. Personally, Hajime thought that nothing about living in Oblivia screamed 'paradise'. Returning back to reality, he decided he must have been one hell of an idiot to cut through the marketplace. It was swarming with people. He recognized a few people from the castle, pausing every now and then to return a greeting. Natsuya seemed to be equally lost. He could not blame him. The knight's training school never had this many people at once.

Finally they made it through the worst of the crowd. The brothers picked up speed to make up for lost time. They decided to stop to rest at the town fountain. "I didn't know the town had this many people," Natsuya commented.

"Yeah well, most of them are either people visiting from the port or from the castle. Not many townspeople will go to the market," Hajime answered. He stood up and stretched. "Alright, let's go." He backed right into another person. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry," he said quickly as he turned around. Instead of some random townsfolk, he saw someone he would rather not anger. "Minami?"

The magician looked right back at him. "Eh, Hajime?" she asked in surprise. "I thought…"

"Day off," he answered. "Besides my brother is going to be a knight. Awesome right?" Judging by the expression on her face, it was anything but great. He had heard of Minami's apparent dislike for anything related to the castle, but still…

She took a quick look at the younger boy behind him. "Rather scrawny," she commented. "What are _you_ doing here anyway?"

"Taking a break?" Hajime answered. "We cut through the market to the castle. The initiation for the new knights is beginning soon. By the way, where's Hitomi?" Hajime asked.

"She went back home in Almia. She'll be back next week though," Minami answered. She turned to look at the clock. "Shouldn't you guys be leaving? It's almost noon."

Both boys' heads turned into the direction of the clock. "Crap, Hayate's going to murder us," Hajime exclaimed. "You're going to the upcoming Cresselia Festival right? I'll see you there." He dragged Natsuya along as they raced down the street. Minami watched them go in amusement.

"Pfft… Boys," she smiled at shook her head. Personally, she had nothing against Hajime, other than he was part of the knights at the castle. Her main target was the King and his Council. She thought back to his brother, the one she commented had looked rather thin. He seemed kind of familiar, yet she was certain she had never seen him before. As far as she know, the knight's training school was way out of town, located somewhere near Naname Village, way out at Mironda Island. So no real surprise there. After all, she had been living in Aqua Town for nearly her entire life. Hajime lived a few minutes outside town, where his father cut wood for lumber everyday at the bottom of the valley. Figuring that she would get a headache from thinking too much, she turned towards the direction of the shop. _I think Hinata said something about a message for Kazuki_, she thought. _I'll just drop by his place and inform Kira about my progress._

* * *

Natsuya kept looking back towards the town. "Who is that?" he asked.

"Huh? Minami? She's one of the magicians in Aqua Town," Hajime answered. "I find her one of the better magicians in town. The stuff she sells actually work for a long time. And her co-worker Hinata is the best for healing magic. Sometimes when I get the day off I drop by their place, see what's new. You remember that I told you once that I had a friend from Almia? She works there too, but she's not a magician."

"Oh," was the one-syllable answer Natsuya gave.

Hajime eyed his younger brother. "Why?" he asked.

Natsuya shrugged. "I don't know. I find her familiar, yet I've never been anywhere outside home or the school," he answered as they reached the front of the castle gates. "Wow. It's a lot larger than I thought," Natsuya exclaimed, taking in the structure of the place.

Hajime laughed. "Yeah well, it has that effect on all newcomers. Come on, I'll take you straight to the waiting room. Hayate will brief you guys about the rules and stuff," he said, leading Natsuya in. _So Natsuya finds Minami familiar_, he thought. _May be due to that a suppressed memory is trying to make itself known._ Minami was one of the people he found whose name contained the word 'Nami' in it. He had looked up people who had lived in Aqua Town and never moved. He dropped by one day and was really surprised to see Hitomi there as well, as he had not seen her ever since he moved from Almia. He had his suspicions that Natsuya was from this very town as his father had found him at the bottom of the valley. Near the top of the steep slope was the borders of the highest part of the town. He would be surprised if Minami turned out to be one of the people who used to know Natsuya pre-memory loss. All this time he had known the girl magician, she had a volatile personality, often causing tornados to sweep him up if he even dared to put any moves on Hitomi. Other times, she acted friendly, even showing him some things she was working on. Sometimes he could not, for the life of himself, imagine how Hinata and Hitomi put up with her constant mood changes. Come to think of it, she never asked for his brother's name, nor did he actually tell her. He made a mental note to ask Minami the next time he saw her.

"Hajime!" a voice in front of him suddenly shouted.

Hajime lost his footing for a while before looking up. A tall man with white hair and a long white coat with red designs at the base of it glared down at him. "Commander Yuuki," he greeted, quickly standing straight up and saluting.

"What're you doing here?" Yuuki asked. He caught sight of Natsuya. "Newcomers waiting room is that way. You got one minute before Hayate loses it."

Hajime glanced at the direction Yuuki was pointing at. "Thanks, sir," Hajime said as he bowed. "Come on, hurry." He tugged Natsuya's arm and they tore down the hallway. He got a feeling he would get chewed out by Hayate all the same

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

An old man with white hair and moustache watched the town from the balcony of the lab where he worked at. He let out a sigh. Forced to work here and develop spells based on the King's orders, it was really not the ideal environment.

"Shinbara sir?" asked a timid voice behind him.

The old man turned around. "Oh, Prince Herio," he greeted as he bowed. "What can I do for you?"

The young prince was nervous, Shinbara observed. He fiddled with the hem of his light blue top and he kept shifting his weight from foot to foot. "It's just that… I heard my father is planning another conquest," he finally said.

Shinbara's eyebrows knitted together. "On Almia again?" he asked.

Herio nodded. "Well, I didn't exactly hear him say it, but the Council was talking about it as they were leaving the throne room for midday break," he explained. "I… I don't want to see him going village after village. It all started when he successfully got control of Aqua Town. And now he even has Fall City in Fiore and Pueltown in Almia! All of them main cities for the region! What more does he want?"

Shinbara laid a comforting hand on the prince. "Believe me, if I was capable of stopping him, I would have done so a long time ago," Shinbara told the prince. "It is beyond my power, however, to put a stop to the King."

The prince looked up at him in shock. "But how?" he cried. "You are the most powerful magician in all the regions!"

Shinbara stood up again. "True, but if what I suspect is right, King Euron is using a power beyond that of most powerful magicians," he explained. "I am, pitifully, short of the power to oppose that power. You remember Kira?"

Herio nodded. The young oracle for the castle was banished for reading an oracle that prophesized the King's downfall. "What about Kira?"

"Kira was no magician. However, she does contain a small part of the ability to stop the King," Shinbara explained. "Kira utilizes the power of Cresselia, Goddess of the Moon."

"I know that," Herio said. "She uses the moonlight to read fortunes."

Shinbara nodded. "Yes. Kira's Guardian is Cresselia. She can channel Cresselia's powers through herself and use them. But Cresselia is only a small part of the overall power to oppose King Euron. People who can utilize the powers of Guardians are usually magicians who found an element that they are proficient in. But not all magicians are able to command the power of a Guardian. Such an example, is I myself. Throughout my years, I have practiced all kinds of magic, and yet to receive a Guardian."

He thought he saw a small light of hope appear in Herio's eyes. "So all Guardians must be present to stop my father?" he asked.

"In a way, yes," Shinbara said.

"So… Are there any magicians in town other than Kira who can use the powers of a Guardian?" Herio asked.

A faint smile crept across Shinbara's face. "I thought you would never ask," he said. "In Oblivia itself, I can sense the power of no less than six people who use the power of Guardians. And I believe, those who not yet found a human host are looking for one. After all, they wouldn't stand for The King abusing the power of his Guardian like this."

"What kind of Guardian is my father using?" Herio asked.

"That I do not really know," Shinbara answered. "I'm still in the midst of finding out which Guardian is that powerful to conquer so much in so little time. Say, Your Highness. What village is the King planning to raid next?"

* * *

**Legend:**

Naname Village – Tilt Village  
Hitomi – Kate (Shadows of Almia)  
Hayate – Spenser  
Yuuki – Garrett  
Shinabara – Hastings  
Herio – Ravio


	4. Purple Eye, Dazzle

**A/N:** I do not own Pokemon Ranger of ANY sort. They belong to Nintendo and Hal Laboratory

I finally decided to up this chapter. This one will appear to be longer than my longest fic ever: Prophecy Girl (which contains 11 chapters including epilogue). Because the plotbunny just. Won't. Stop. Breeding! -kicks bunny family into the cage-

* * *

The throne room of the castle was large. So large that a long table filled with papers as well as five men were able to sit and have enough space around them to access stationery and relevant documents easily and have servants and scribes waiting at the sides. Only four were actively discussing something.

"Chicole Village?" Purple Eye scoffed. "Why would you want such a backwater village known for only its farms?"

The man across him, whose blonde hair was styled in a ridiculous way, laughed. "As expected from someone native to Oblivia. You don't know the true value of Chicole Village," he commented.

"Chicole Village alone is more than half the food industry in Almia," Black Hall read from a paper. "If we get this village, the supply of food can be monopolized. Simple isn't it?"

Purple Eye rolled his eyes. "Whatever. The decision to attack still remains with the King," he said. "And then again, I don't recall him turning down any chance to invade an area. After all…"

"As long as our King holds the Kabuto Armour, we are unstoppable," Edward finished. The doctor, nearing his fifties lounged back onto his chair comfortably. "Soon, Oblivia will conquer the world!"

The fifth man who had kept silent all this while laughed. "That's going to take some time, Edward," he remarked. The nearest region is Shinou and Kanto. Princess Shirona, I heard, is a formidable foe on her own. And Prince Red of Kanto is definitely not someone to be messed with, especially with our current power."

"I was just saying, Sarg," Edward replied in annoyance. "The Kabuto Armour will help us."

Sarg shrugged. He stood up and bowed down to the King on the throne. "What say you, Your Majesty?" Sarg asked.

The man on the throne leaned forward a little, shadow casting over his face. It was hard to read his expression then. After some time, he stood up. "Gather the troops," he ordered. "And bring me the armour. We shall convene again at twilight!"

The five men around the large table stood up together. "Yes, Your Majesty," they chorused as they left for their respective destinations.

* * *

Hinata watched in amusement as Minami pressed the tip of a conch shell. The shell was rigged in a way that the tip was a button to activate a sound recording system below. When finished, letting go of the button will stop the recording. Pressing it again will replay the recording. Pressing the button twice in a row and the previous recording will be gone. Minami said something into the conch shell and let the button go.

"Exactly how long are you going to play with that toy of Panema's?" Hinata asked.

Minami pressed the button again to hear the recording. "As long as it takes for me to find out how to get recordings into that thing I'm doing for the Cresselia Festival," she answered.

Hinata sighed. Minami can be a serious workaholic sometimes, even if she did not seem like one sometimes. "The Festival is two weeks away. I'm pretty sure it can be done by then, whatever you're doing."

"It's eye-catching alright," the other magician answered. "By the way, I saw Hajime when returning. Since when did he get a brother?"

"He has a brother?" Hinata echoed. There was silence for a while. "I think Hitomi said something like that a while back. I don't exactly recall it. What with the King having a temporary break from conquests and such…" Her speech was stopped when she saw someone coming in. A small blonde girl in a white and blue dress greeted them. "Oh. Hello Tsubasa."

The girl smiled. "Hinata, it's great to see you too."

"Is there anything you need?" Hinata asked. It was slightly unbelievable to her at first, but this child was responsible for all mail to and from everybody in their secret circle. Their leader, Kira was harsh on security when sending and receiving mail. Tanza had suggested Tsubasa as the girl loved birds and was able to somehow communicate with them. Kira reluctantly agreed to let her to try out mail for some time. After a while, Kira was impressed with her speed and efficiency and made her the one in charge of communications via mail.

Tsubasa nodded. "I have word from the castle. From Shinbara," she stated simply. "The King is planning to invade Chicole Village in Almia next. The soldiers are gathering at twilight for further instructions and will set off from there."

That caught the attention of both magicians. "What!" Hinata demanded. "Damn. That's Hitomi's home village! And she's still in Almia!" After a few rounds of swearing, she turned back to Tsubasa. "So what did Kira say?"

"Kira said to meet as usual to discuss who will be sent and who will stay here to keep watch," the young girl answered. "She also said 'As for Hinata and Minami, tell them to close their shop early and head for Chicole Village instantly'."

"Consider it done," Minami said. "Thanks Tsubasa." The blonde girl left the shop and ran off.

Hinata pointed at the sign which flipped around to say 'Closed'. "You heard Tsubasa. Let's go."

"In a moment!" Minami quickly said. Hinata watched as Minami recorded something into the conch shell and set it on the counter. "So who's going to use the travelling spell?"

Hinata rummaged under the counter and reappeared with a bag. "Me. Because the last time you cast it, we ended up in Drop Island when we were supposed to be on Rainbow Island."

Minami shrugged. "Fine, fine… I'll clean the place up till you're done packing."

* * *

A sword clashed with another, creating a loud ringing sound that echoed through the arena. A couple of knights were training in the sparring area. One had reddish-brown hair and the other dark brown, although both were wearing the standard light leather armour issued for casual training.

"Heh, not bad," the one with reddish-brown hair commented, jumping back to his original stance. "Though not as good as me."

"You're just overconfident, Dazzle," the one with brown hair argued back, bringing his sword down in a low slash. "What were you doing during the three days of vacation we had because the higher ups wanted to organize the initiation for the new knights?"

Dazzle leapt back and moved in quickly, but his friend was faster and blocked the blow. "You know me. Training, resting, reading tactics in the library. I'm not you, Hajime."

Hajime pushed off Dazzle and lowered his sword. "I'm sorry I have a little brother who isn't that much younger than me to look out for," he laughed. "Time up. I want to go check on Natsuya."

"He'll be fine," Dazzle said, as he headed for a bench where their bags were. "After all, he got the almighty Hayate as his instructor. Speaking of higher ups, there was an order earlier to assemble in the parade square at evening."

A puzzled look was all he got from Hajime. Dazzle sighed, dropping his gloves carelessly onto the bench. "You have to pay a bit more attention Hajime. Hitomi ain't around to remind you anymore. I don't know how you managed to survive till today."

"Hitomi's here," Hajime answered. He smirked when he saw Dazzle's shocked expression. "I _knew_ it. You were too busy in the castle and perfecting your moves that you don't go out much. She's here in Aqua Town. 'Cept that when I talked to one of the girls she was working for, she said Hitomi's gone back to Almia for a while."

He was totally unprepared for Dazzle's surprise attack. "You _spoke_ to Hitomi?" he demanded, grabbing the collar of Hajime's armour. "And you didn't tell me?"

"Yes, I talked to her. I found her only a few months ago on one of my days off and will you let go? This gear isn't conducive for interrogations," Hajime answered as he flailed around.

"I'm hurt Hajime," Dazzle frowned as he put his friend down. "Whatever happened to the promise we made?"

Hajime hummed thoughtfully to himself. "You mean the one we made when we were ten and I was about to move away? Oh come on. How long can anything woven by grass last?" He received a light hit on his head. "Ow. Ok ok! Our next day off, I'll take you to see Hitomi. But that's only when we both get the same day. And Hayate's stingy about vacations."

"Fine," Dazzle replied as he looked at the sky. The sun was nearly setting, colouring the clouds rose pink and spreading orange and yellow through the sky. "Let's go. It'll be assembly time soon. If you barely make it for this one, Hayate's going to blacklist you for life."

Hajime stuck his tongue out at Dazzle as they made their way from the arena.

* * *

Evening was upon both girls when Hinata finally emerged from the back door of their shop. "Sorry, I was checking whether everything was locked up. You know how Kira gets whenever we lose anything related to the circle."

"Forgiven," Minami laughed. "Because it's actually valid. I got yelled at once for misplacing one of the combat formations. Turns out I left it with Imachi." She looked back to the building. Raising both hands, she muttered '_Sperre_". Faint blue electric crackling fanned out from the top of the building and rained down in a circle around the building before fading. "Now that the building has been taken care of, let's go."

Hinata eyed the building. "You sure it's secured? I mean, we're not the only magicians in town you know," she said. "I really hope nothing happens… _Akuusetsudan_!" The moment the word left Hinata's lips, a large tear opened up below their feet. Both girls suddenly plummeted into the open space.

"HINATA YOU IDIOT!" was the last thing Minami remembered saying.

* * *

Hajime ran out to the assembly square with Dazzle quickly. Their expressions fell when they saw the neat formation that the knights were already in. "We are so doomed," Hajime muttered as he quickly stood in line at the back. Unfortunately not quick enough to escape Hayate's watchful eye. The green-haired knight strode over to the two knights.

"You two got some answering to do once this briefing is over, Hajime, Dazzle," Hayate hissed under his breath. "One more time tonight Hajime, and you'll be organizing the weapons with Kamuri."

Hajime shuddered internally and nodded. Above in the balcony overlooking the parade square, was the King himself. Hajime steeled himself and looked up. It was the first time he was to go with the main army to a fight. All the previous times, he and Dazzle were assigned to stay behind and guard the castle along with the more inexperienced knights.

"It is time," the King announced. "That we claim a village in the name of Oblivia. Our target is a farming village in Almia. No doubt, the Almian army will be waiting for us. However, the Kabuto Armour will guide us to victory!"

A loud roar erupted around Hajime. Shouts of 'All hail Oblivia' and 'King Euron' were heard around him. He wondered where they were headed to now.

Another person stepped up after the shouts died down. Hajime recognized him as one of the ministers in the Council. One of the instructors at school, Red Eye was sent away from the castle because he went against this person's orders. If he remembered correctly, the minister standing beside the King was called Purple Eye.

"We shall depart at sunrise towards Almia," he said clearly. "We have sent scouts ahead as well as a handful of knights to set up camp there. Our target this time is quite a distance from one of the towns in our name, Pueltown. Therefore the need for camp. Our target, is Chicole Village."

Hajime's mind stopped working that instant. Chicole Village, that was where he, Dazzle and Hitomi used to live together before Hajime left. Dazzle left a few years later, but Hitomi never did. Hitomi merely came to Oblivia to look for a better job. Her family is still back in Almia. And Minami said she went back home.

"Hey! Oi Hajime, snap out of it," Dazzle said, snapping his fingers in front of Hajime's face. No response. He took hold of his friend's shoulders and started shaking it. "Hajime!"

It had the desired effect. "Wha—Where… Dazzle?" was the confused question.

Dazzle snorted. "No, I'm Commander Youji," he replied sarcastically. "What the hell?"

"Chicole… Hitomi…" Hajime mumbled. Dazzle was visibly twitching. His friend had this bad habit of speaking too softly if he was despairing over something.

"What? You're mumbling."

Hajime took a deep breath. "Hitomi is in Almia. Back home," he said. "You know where I'm getting to?"

Dazzle's face paled. "Crap. She'll be in Chicole Village when we get there." He groaned. "What now? Not even Hayate can call off the invasion. Only the Council can, and the best they can do is postpone it. I can't set my birth village on fire."

"Neither can I," Hajime admitted. "We'll talk to Hayate tomorrow. The assembly's adjourned and we would be going home to inform our parents or something. I want to find Natsuya and go home already." His friend silently agreed and left the assembly square.

* * *

**A/N:**

Purple Eye – Purple Eyes (obviously)  
Mirakado – Kincaid. The hair pretty much says all  
Black Hall – Blake Hall. The president of Altru  
Shirona - Cynthia  
Red - ... well... Red. Reference from _Beyond Limitations_, only with a different setting.  
Sarg – Sabios  
Euron – Ellois. You won't get to meet him unless you play the past missions faithfully. Also those who actually _play_ that far will know what Guardian he's using ;D  
Panema - Nema  
Tsubasa – Supurna  
Tanza - Tanvir  
Dazzle – Keith  
Imachi – Murph  
Kamuri – Cameron  
Red Eye – Red Eyes  
Youji - Clyde from Go-Rock Quads  
Drop Island - Dolce Island  
Rainbow Island - Renbow Island

According to my dictionary, twilight is around the time of the evening. The recording shell was a little something from one of my favourite anime/manga from all times. First person to get it right gets a chapter 5 preview NOT in my profile. I did research before using any names of the towns and villages here. Pueltown and Chicole Village are exactly the same as their Japanese names. Incidentally, some spells I mentioned requires incantation. I got them off Babelfish. For the Japanese ones, I merely used the Japanese names of attacks:

_Allumez_ – creates various sized light orbs. It lights up places. It's supposedly 'light' in French  
_Tornade_ – creates a small tornado. Supposedly 'tornado' in French_  
Akuusetsudan_ – creates a tear in space. It literally means 'Subspace Tear'. It's the Japanese name for Spacial Rend, Palkia's signature move. Reason why this is in Japanese, I couldn't find good translations for a simple word: 'Teleport'.


	5. Tsubasa, Hitomi, Rizumi

**A/N:** A surprisingly fast update. I wrote half of it in class (all hail my inattentiveness lol). I'm really shocked that this chapter is double the amount of 2 chapters O.O Anyway, just enjoy. And before anyone sends me another review saying 'NOOO! I want So-and-So to get together with Mr. Whathisname', forget it. I have this story planned from the start to the end in my head. Changing one shipping will mean changing about the entire content of 2 chapters at least.  


* * *

Day was about to retire with night slowly arriving. Tsubasa quickly weaved through the streets in search of her next destination. She was asked by Kira to pass a message to Hinata and Minami and send another message via pigeon. She just relayed Kira's message to both magicians. They were probably on their way to save the village of their co-worker. She saw the shop she was looking for.

"Mrs Kawai! Wait, don't close the shop yet!" she shouted as she ran towards her destination. The elderly woman who owned the said shop looked up.

"Tsubasa!" she returned the greeting. "Don't worry. I'll stay open just for you."

The blond girl managed a smile. The old woman here sold agricultural goods. Her pet birds were fed only grains from this shop. "Thank you," she said as she walked into the building. "I need a refill of grains for my birds."

The old woman nodded in understanding as she went to a barrel and measured out some wheat. "Your pets are blessed with such an understanding owner, Tsubasa," the old woman said. "Plus you practically run your own business with mail. It's quite a feat for such a girl as young as you."

Tsubasa laughed nervously. "It's a family business, Mrs Kawai. Besides, I really love birds. My father always told me that if we treat our birds with respect, we can communicate with them."

Mrs Kawai poured the grains into a small bag and handed it to Tsubasa. "In any case, you are one caring girl. If only the some people were as kind as you were…" She shook her head, remembering a few loud-voiced customers she had to deal with. "Here you go. Five Pokedollars."

Tsubasa gave the money and put the bag into a pocket. "Thank you. See you soon," she called as she left the shop.

She lived quite a distance away from town. Her pet birds had not liked the hustle and bustle of the town one bit and she finally located a quiet house on the outskirts. It was near the ocean, on the other side where Mount Sorberlas towered over. The evening sun cast the clouds pink and orange and the sky a deep yellow. She took a moment to admire the sunset over the ocean.

"This is beautiful," she said to no one in particular.

After a while she turned to leave but something caught her eye. It was a shadow just above the water, so small that she could hardly see it clearly. Judging by the size, it was probably really really far away. The shadow flew across the sun and gradually too far away to see. Tsubasa frowned. From what she _could see_, the shadow had wings and a long neck. _Probably a large Lapras jumping out of the water_, she thought of the blue animal that people mostly domesticated for travelling across water. There were still wild ones of course, but very rarely seen. She shrugged and turned back to her house. She briefly remembered that she was facing Almia when she saw that shadow.  


* * *

  
All was quiet in Chicole Village. The farmers had retired for the day, and most of them should be having dinner at home with their families. But not for this one girl who just stepped out of her house. She was wearing a plain white shirt with a red jacket and black Bermudas, her brown hair pulled up into twin pigtails. A large squirrel jumped up to the fence. Upon seeing the girl, it jumped down and ran towards her.

"Pachi, have you been good today?" the girl asked, picking up the squirrel. The squirrel did not resist and positioned itself comfortably within the arms of the girl. The girl smiled. "Come on, let's go home."

She barely took two steps when a voice yelled out from within the house. "HITOMI!"

The girl froze in mid-step, knowing the reason for the person to shout for her. The squirrel's ears twitched. Its owner was getting into trouble again. The girl quickly took off for the large cage behind the house she came from and opened a small hatch to let the squirrel in. The door closed just as the nearest door to the house opened.

"What did you do?" a small girl crossed the threshold of the door and demanded.

"A fairy visited," Hitomi said, laughing nervously while answering. "It cast silver glitter in preparation for winter."

The little girl shook her head. Obviously, she did not buy that. "Suuuuuuuuure, dear sister. It's summer time. Perhaps you forgotten the only 'fairies' that exist are people trained in magic. So cough up. Where did that magic come from?"

"It's obviously Minami's magic. Only she would think of something like that," Hitomi sighed. "Ok, I was careless and threw my bag on the floor. But according to Minami, it takes effect instantly, not a couple of days after the bottle breaks."

The younger of the sisters sighed. Her older sister was a pure airhead. "Look either way, you have to get rid of the glitter," she explained. "I'll lure Mum out to the farm now. You clean that up, ok?"

Hitomi nodded, the pigtails on her head following the movement. "Sorry…"

The smaller girl smiled. "It's ok. After all, it's been some time since you were home anyway. I'll get Mum to cool down. I'll bring her back when she has cooled down. Hopefully she'll be calm when the sun sets." She went into the house and shut the door. Hitomi breathed out a sigh of relief. Her sister can always be counted on to watch her back. Way out in Oblivia, Hinata was usually the one chastising Hitomi for carelessness but it seemed to only amuse Minami.

Just as she was caught up in her own daydream, the sky above her split open. The sound of tearing, although not that loud, was enough to snap Hitomi out of her daydream and look at the tear above her. "_Akuusetsudan_?" she exclaimed in shock, recognizing the same spell that Hinata used to send her home. Someone was trying to get into her village. Immediately, two figures dropped down from the tear and right in front of her. Above, the tear closed and sealed up. Hitomi watched the process and turned to the two people and instantly recognized them. "You know, if you guys wanted a vacation to Almia too, you can always tell me," she joked.

The one with brown hair did not look amused. "Really funny Hitomi. You have the honour of cleaning out the basement when we return," she said, brushing off dust from her clothes.

Hitomi's face paled. "Hinata! She didn't mean that right?" she wailed dramatically. "Minami was only joking right?"

Hinata hid a smile. "She could be."

Hitomi whined like a little kid and sat down on the grass. Her expression changed to a serious one. "What brings you two to Almia anyway? Is it Kira?" she asked. Seeing them nod, she went into a short silence. "Come in. If Kira needs anything, you can tell me as well." She led them into her house.

… Only for both magicians to gape in shock at the inside. "Oh… Oops," Hitomi muttered. She completely forgot about the silver glitter. The silver stuff lay in mountains everywhere. It was glittery as far as the eye could see.

Minami was the first to break out of her trance. "Well. That explains why I can't find that bottle of diamond dust," she said. She waved a finger over the mess. Blue sparks crackled over the silver glitter. The volume eventually decreased and faded away, leaving the house clean and free of sparkles.

Hitomi headed for the stairs that was previously blocked by a mountain of silver glitter. "Come up to my room. We'll talk there," she said while gesturing for them to move. "I'll just tell my mum when she and my sister returns from the farm."

Hinata and Minami settled on the floor while Hitomi closed the door and locked it behind her. "Alright. So what's the newsflash?" she asked excitedly.

Hinata unrolled a piece of paper she carried in the bag with her. "This is our secret correspondence with Kira, when she wants us to do something and actually remembers that her copy of this piece of paper exists anyway. She writes instructions in here and they will be sent to our copy. Tampered with magic, courtesy of Minami," she explained. "Leila has told her of the Guardians of our regions: Fiore, Almia and Oblivia and what they represent. In Almia, the most prominent Guardian is of course, Lady Cresselia, the same Guardian Kira is using. Of course Almia doesn't just have Lady Cresselia. Leila came to Almia before on research study and found the presence of three golems, each possessing a certain element. There is a way to awaken these three golems but first we must find them. She gave us vague locations via this paper. That's where we need you to come in because both Minami and I are not familiar with Almia."

Hitomi nodded. "Of course."

Minami leaned forward. "That's not all. Leila also told us about Litographs. Symbols that represent and awaken certain Guardians. With the correct Litograph, certain other Guardians can also be awakened." She placed a silver feather attached to a silver chain on the table. There was a symbol on the feather that looked like a spring. "This is a Guardian charm. Well, I don't know if anything is actually residing in it since my teacher pretty much got himself killed before he can teach me more about Guardian charms. All I know is I found this while on the beach in Aqua Town. Hinata has a similar charm also found somewhere, but I don't know if she has it with her right now. A Guardian charm is extremely rare and precious and _must not_ fall into the wrong hands. What I'm saying is, Hitomi. Do you have anything like this? Or seen one anywhere?"

Hitomi shook her head. "No… I don't think I've seen anything like it."

Minami let out a disappointed sigh. "Ok. Now for the big one. King Euron is coming here, to Almia to attack Chicole Village."

"WHAT?" Hitomi shouted. She stood up abruptly and headed for the window. "He's not here yet. Thank god. Where did that come from?"

"Tsubasa," Hinata answered. "Shinbara sent word ahead. Kira wants us to stay here to fend off Euron's soldiers and also to find the three golems. I'm in charge of healing the people and Minami for magic backup."

Hitomi glanced at Minami. "No offence but… I've never seen Minami fight. Will she be alright alone?"

"She'll be fine," Hinata assured her. "You haven't seen her at full power yet. All those pranks on Hajime, were considered child's play. Right Minami?"

The brown-haired magician smiled and nodded. Hitomi felt relieved. If Hinata says so. Never judge a book by its cover indeed. "Ok. So about the three golems, let me see what Leila says about their locations."

* * *

Hitomi's head jerked up to the sound of the door knocking. Her vision blurred a little as she got up to open the door. "Yes?" she asked as she pulled the door halfway open.

"Mother wants to tell you that dinner is ready and thanks for clearing up the silver glitter," her younger sister chirped. "Also do we have guests? Mother saw two extra pairs of shoes outside."

Hitomi nodded. "Yeah. I'll bring them down in a moment. Thanks sis," she said. The younger girl smiled and bounded down the stairs. Hitomi closed the door to her room. Deciphering the locations were a headache. And then again, nobody said a mission to revolt was easy. She sat back down on the floor and picked up the paper she was referring to earlier. "I think _Prince of Blue_ will refer to the legend here in Almia. There were three princes of red, yellow and blue. The red prince was sent to a land so hot that even the rain that falls is warm. The yellow prince is sent to a land so dry that water is scarcely available. The blur prince stayed with the King in the castle till his demise. 'The underground cave of where the Prince of Blue sleeps' may refer to Almia Castle, way up north. Or it could be a secret hidden passage in the royal family graveyard. As far as I remember bodies of the royal family were laid to rest in crypts. It could be either the crypt of the Blue Prince or it can be an exceptionally difficult riddle regarding the abandoned castle." She put the paper down. "I can't think anymore… Think you two could spare some time for dinner?"

Hinata and Minami looked up from their references. "I guess so," Hinata admitted. "We've been here since afternoon. Disregarding the time difference in Oblivia and Almia, we've been awake for the past 20 hours."

Hitomi cleared up the scattered papers on the floor and placed them in a drawer. "Let's go get some food. I'll tell my mum that you're staying here overnight." She was closing the drawer when she suddenly heard a clear ringing sound. She glanced up, ears straining to catch the sound again. It rang once more. Hitomi turned to the door where it came from. Around Minami's neck was a bell, made from clear glass. It sounded a few more times before she muffled the bell with the yellow scarf she always wore. _Since when did Minami get a glass bell?_ She thought as she switched off the lights.

-X-X-X-X-X

Hajime wandered out to the deck. They were on the ship bound for Almia already. Last night, he brought Natsuya home where their mother had cooked a huge dinner for them. Natsuya gave his version of the day while they ate. Hajime was extremely shocked to find out that Natsuya was going to Almia with them. His brother had said that Hayate found out about his ability to cast magic after he failed to block an attack Hayate executed and opted for a violent jet of water that had sent his opponent flying back. Their mother sent them both to sleep after dinner, saying that they will need their alertness in Almia.

The next morning, Hajime and Natsuya packed their necessities and left the house. Natsuya went to group with other newcomers who were chosen to go while Hajime met up with Dazzle to find Hayate to inform him about their predicament.

"This is most annoying," Hayate had said. "I really didn't expect them to go after your village. Nevertheless, I'll try to have you both out of the assault squad. I know how it feels like to charge into a familiar town."

After that the troops were herded onto a large ship due for Pueltown. Now it was mid afternoon and were halfway through the journey. He looked up to see Shinbara, the top magician in the castle at the top of the mast generating the necessary wind to power the ship. The ship was made of solid brown wood and his eyes were getting tired of the colour. To the left of the ship, he saw a few of the knights from his year. A blonde girl caught his attention. He frowned. Girls were not on the ship for no reason then it hit him. She was a healer. Healers were often brought along to heal injured soldiers. The blonde healer looked up and saw him.

"Hajime!" she called out as she ran over. "Long time no see!"

"Rizumi?" Hajime questioned. "What are YOU doing here?"

The blonde girl hit his arm lightly. "I'm here to take care of all your wounds, what else am I here for?" she laughed lightly. "Man, it was so long ago that when we were kids and playing with each other in the school on the right side of Vientown. How was Oblivia when you first moved?"

Hajime began telling her of his life in Oblivia up to where Natsuya found him instead. "By Arceus, brother. I didn't know you were such a flirt," he commented. "That Hitomi girl not enough for you?"

Hajime jumped. "What? NO! I mean," he stammered. "She's just one of my friends when we were kids. Rizumi, this is my brother Natsuya. Natsuya, Rizumi."

Rizumi scanned Natsuya up and down, similar to Minami. "He looks thin. Is that a family trait? And since when did you get a brother?"

"Natsuya's adopted," Hajime clarified. "My dad found him lying somewhere at the bottom of the valley of Mount Sorberlas. I'm not sure exactly how he ended up there. Mother reckons he was playing at the edge of Aqua Town and fell. You know that steep slope that leads to Silver Falls? He doesn't remember a thing before we took him in though."

Rizumi nodded. "Poor boy," she said ruffling his hair. She turned to Hajime. "If I had met you earlier in the castle, I would've helped you. My magic teacher taught me something about memory recollection. Tell you what, let's go back to your room. I'm going to try to uncover some of his memories. I have no guarantee because I never actually tried it on an amnesiac person."

Hajime's face cracked into a wide smile. "Thank you so much Rizumi. Even a little help is something. Right Natsuya?"

The younger boy nodded. "My room is this way," he said, leading the way with Hajime and Rizumi behind him.

* * *

Rizumi told him to sit on a chair while Hajime occupied his bed. "Ok, I'm going to probe into our mind now," Rizumi told Natsuya. "It may be uncomfortable, but bear with it ok? And Hajime, please lock the door. I don't want any interruption."

Hajime nodded and went to lock the door while Rizumi told Natsuya to close his eyes. She muttered something under her breath as her hands, placed on either side of Natsuya's head began glowing gold. "Alright Natsuya, relax," Rizumi instructed as she allowed her power to delve into his mind.

At first she saw nothing but darkness. Then suddenly it was glowing red everywhere. Rizumi kept her cool and looked around casually. In the memory world, nothing will happen to her. It was a fire burning up a house, and a big one too. She saw a young boy in the middle of the place looking for someone. A man appeared in front of the boy and carried him to a window. The window was opened and the boy was thrown out roughly. Rizumi gasped in shock as she too ran towards the window. Relief washed over her as she saw the boy just out of reach. They were on the ground floor then.

"Run for it!" she heard the man call out. "Go find the others."

The boy, frightened took off into the darkness. Rizumi jumped out and ran after the boy. Her heart stopped when he was approached by a knight. Shock turned to surprise when the boy shouted something and a tornado swept the knight away. The boy kept running. Rizumi could see a large space in front of him and assumed that the boy's destination was there when he suddenly fell. She saw a knight holding on to his ankle. The boy kicked ferociously and hit the face of the knight. The boy then took off in the opposite direction and finally made it to the edge of the town. Belatedly, Rizumi realized that they were standing at the very edge of a sharp cliff that overlooked Silver Falls. "This must be Aqua Town during the conquest of the King," she said to no one in particular. The boy crouched down behind a large tree. Suddenly all went black.

Rizumi mused on the short memory when her surroundings took a bright glow. It took on shapes of buildings and people. It took her a few moments to realize she was looking at an Aqua Town that was much livelier than the one she knew. She was standing in front of a weathered house. A boy, younger than the one from the memory with fire appeared behind her to knock on the door.

"Excuse me, is anyone there?" he called out. Rizumi wanted to laugh. Now that she could see the boy in proper daylight, she identified the kid as a young Natsuya who looked rather cute. The door opened and a woman looked out.

"I'm sorry, she's not feeling well today," she said apologetically. "Please tell your teacher that she will be resuming magic lessons next week. I'll let you see her once you're done with your lessons today."

The boy nodded and walked away to another house. The memory ended abruptly. Realizing nothing else was going to surface, she pulled out of his mind. "Well, that was somewhat informative," she finally said, opening her eyes and seeing the real world.

"So what did you see?" Hajime prompted. Natsuya slowly opened his eyes, and appeared to be in a daze.

Rizumi told Hajime to let Natsuya lie down. "It's the aftereffects. The person whose mind is being probed into will need to rest after that," she said. "For one, I think I know how he gotten amnesia. You said he was found near the bottom of the valley to Mount Sorberlas. In his memory there was a huge fire. I assume his house was set alight. Someone, a man, threw him out of the burning house. He gotten ambushed by soldiers on his way to a safe area and headed straight to the cliff that overlooks Silver Falls. He probably fell down the slope and hit his head. Main causes for amnesia is usually head injury although the mind can also choose to seal the memory away for being too traumatic. I believe it's more of the head injury since you did say he was bleeding from the head. Second, was a memory before the King's invasion. He was a really young kid, knocking on the door of someone. A woman came out and told him to tell his teacher that 'she' won't be going for magic lessons. He is trained in magic as a kid, which would explain his ability to cast spells and would have evolved to something more powerful if given the chance to practice."

Hajime assessed Rizumi's words. "My mother doesn't want Natsuya to further learn magic. And also Natsuya doesn't show much interest in learning it alone," he said.

"That's because he was used to learning it with someone else. He was on his way to lessons when he stopped by a house," Rizumi explained. "Now the thing is, who is this 'she' that he was going to see in that memory?"

"It hardly happens but, sometimes I hear Natsuya calling out for someone," Hajime said. "The most frequently called is someone called 'Nami'. But of course that was a few years ago. I haven't heard anything recently."

"So if we find this 'Nami' person we might be able to find out more from Natsuya's past. Thing is, which 'Nami'?"

Hajime sighed. "I looked up every person in Aqua Town. There are about two girls called 'Nami' and three others with the word 'Nami' in their names. I've only spoken to one of them though."

"Which one?" Rizumi asked.

"Shimizu Minami," Hajime answered.

* * *

**A/N and Legend:**

Tsubasa – Supurna  
Hitomi – Kate  
Hajime - Kellyn  
Natsuya - Ben  
Mount Sorberlas – Mount Sorbet  
Minami – Summer  
Hinata – Solana  
Leila – Leanne. I wasn't sure exactly what her Japanese name _Reira_ was trying to say but _Leila_ according to Bulbapedia was close enough. I wanted to use 'Layla' like in my preview but I realized 'who the hell will type Layla into a search engine? Lots'  
Rizumi – Rhythmi

_Akuusetsudan_ - Subspace Tear. Used as a means of transportation.

Pokedollars, because I don't have a better name for currency being used. Pachi is Hitomi's pet squirrel in Almia, based on a Pachirisu. I gave Minami the last name of '_Shimizu_' which means 'clear water' because it has something to do with later on. '_Kawai_' is a random name I took when watching Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters. It's the family name of Jounouchi's younger sister, Shizuka.


	6. Kira, Axe

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon Ranger of any kind. They belong to Hal Lab, Game Freak and Nintendo.

A/N: Thanks to all those who reviewed! Ok, let me speak for a while before you read. Personally, I'm sorta... half-scared this fic won't pull through, like a couple of my dead fics... Ah, ok, that aside. For updates, I tend to write whenever I'm free/have a muse. Otherwise I'm busy doing work for my school project (which spans 5 to 6 months) or rushing anything for cosplay (the bane of cosplayers. TIME LIMITS!). And also this is the 2nd time I'm attempting a multichaptered fic since... 2 or 3 years ago. What I also noticed is, lack of shippy material, _despite what I claim_. I, unfortunately, am more pro in the angst/tragedy kind so while I can pull of a perfect angsty scene well of B crying over A's death because A died for B etc etc, I'm hopeless with romance. But hey, I tried. I will incorporate more shippy stuff when the time comes. Right now, it's still early (yes, SIX FRIGGING CHAPTERS is early because I have at least 20 chapters planned). I know some people who also have trouble remembering the Japanese names like Ben = Natsuya etc. I have since developed the habit of adding a legend of everybody mentioned in a chapter.

Wow. That was long. I can't remember what else I want to say anyway. So, on to the next instalment of _Opposing Sides_.  


* * *

  
Kazuki twirled a stick between his fingers. Kira had insisted on a meeting the moment she received that critical message from Tsubasa. Which was why he was sitting in a dark underground cavern somewhere in Mount Sorberlas with an extremely long table and watching people bicker back and forth.

"SILENCE!" a woman with purple hair screamed at the head of the table. The people gathered around the table immediately kept quiet and settled on the benches on either side of the table. "I'm pretty sure everyone here knows that Tsubasa sent me an urgent message from Shinbara earlier today. The King plans to invade Chicole Village in Almia next."

A series of collective gasps and whisperings filled the room. Kira twitched. She slammed her hand on the table, the sound bouncing off the earthen walls. The voices died down immediately. "I have already asked Hinata and Minami to head to Chicole Village to warn Hitomi and the villagers already. Now we shall decide who will be heading there to lend support to the girls and the villagers."

"I'll go," Kazuki answered immediately. The entire table looked at him. "I've been staying away from the front lines long enough. Besides, I'm worried about Hinata too."

Joe snickered. "Your girlfriend will be _fine_," he said, stressing on the final word. "She's got Minami. If that doesn't put your mind at ease, you certainly haven't seen that girl in action."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Kazuki shot back at the blonde man, flushing heavily. The dim lighting hid it, which he was thankful for. "And what about _you_? I haven't seen you going anywhere ever since Hayate disappeared from Ring Town."

The last sentence caused Joe to snap. "You want to make something out of it, kid?" he growled in anger as he stood up.

A flash of light pulled them apart before they both resorted to physical blows. "That's enough," Kira said, the light green feather on her hair glowing softly. "Kazuki AND Joe, I'm assigning you two to Almia. Along with Talga, Sebun, Herb and Barrow. Herb, you will lend support to Minami. Let's just say, she tends to go overboard. Anything else?"

Someone's hand was raised. "Uh, why are there so little people going this time?" asked a small girl with blue hair. "Are they really enough? After what happened at the Jungle Ruins?"

"Panema, the Jungle Ruins was an oversight on my part," Kira admitted. "This time, there's Barrow and Sebun. The rest of you, will focus on the weapons and ammunition along with finding out the Guardian from the Guardian charms that we have. When the six of you are finished with preparations, go see Herb and wait for the message to go Almia. Leila, this is the correspondence with Hinata and Minami. Write down whatever you want and they should receive it. Although keep it simple as the paper isn't that large."

A blue haired woman took the paper from Kira and sat down with a pencil in hand. "I'll just give them info about the three golems and wait for them to reply right?" she asked.

"Yes. That thing's been tampered by Minami herself so it shouldn't be a problem. I'm more worried about the village," Kira said as she sat down beside Leila. "With Minami's power, I expected that girl to be able to use the power of a Guardian. Either she's keeping it really quiet, or the Guardians haven't found her yet. We can't win without a Guardian. I would go if it wasn't for the Full Moon Festival issue." The feather on her head glowed again, as if to say something. Kira kept quiet. "But that's not possible. Lady Cresselia says that another one of us already has the power of a Guardian. And what's with the Full Moon Festival coming up…"

Leila paused in her writing to put her hand on Kira's shoulder reassuringly. "You worry too much Kira," she said. "For now, just worry about the Full Moon Festival. I'm pretty sure Minami can handle the invasion fine. Like you said, she packs too much power for her own good. I'm no magician either, but the best would be to believe in them. Just concentrate on searching for the Guardian with the respective charms."

Kira groaned. "Easy for you to say." But she stood up and left the cavern anyway. "We need your expertise later, Leila. About the legends and all. Come find us when you're done."

* * *

Natsuya woke up when it was dark. His room was dimly lit by a small lamp. From what he could see, Hajime was sleeping on the opposite bed and there was a plate of food on a nearby table. "… Wha—" he started to say when Hajime stirred. The older one turned to his side and saw Natsuya sitting up.

"Natsuya, you ok?" he asked as he jumped from his bed to the other's. "It's really late. Rizumi's spell left you drained and you were sleeping all this while. You missed dinner too so I brought you some food."

Natsuya seemed to take in everything slowly. "Ah… Thanks, bro," he said. "So what did Rizumi see?"

Hajime told him everything Rizumi said earlier from the start to the end. "The fire part was familiar, because you told me some of it. But not everything," he said. "And there was a new one. You were looking for someone and the person's mother told you to tell your teacher that 'she' won't be going for lessons. By the way, Rizumi says that you were really cute as a kid."

Natsuya flushed. "That was beside the point," he argued. "That's it?"

"That's it."

Silence hung in the air for a while. "… I'm still not getting anything," Natsuya finally said. His face suddenly brightened up. "Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you. Hayate suggested something before we left. He said I can try to combine magic into physical attacks. It's doable, but the only person ever to accomplish it was Aria but she only helped some other knight to use certain attacks. Since I'm able to cast spells, he said I should learn to do that as well."

Hajime scratched his head. "Natsuya, I don't understand anything you're saying," he admitted. "I don't even know how to use magic so I can't help you there. Since you're up, want to go for a practice match? You can try whatever Hayate told you to do."

"Awesome, let's go!" Natsuya said excitedly before dragging Hajime bodily out of the room. "Don't go easy just because I'm younger than you."

Hajime laughed. "I don't intend to."

* * *

It was early in the morning when frantic knocking sounded on the front door, rousing Hitomi from sleep. "I got it," her sister shouted as she shuffled to the door. Hitomi snuggled back under the blanket and was about to get comfortable when the knocking sounded on her door instead. "Sis, you might want to hear this. Come out quickly."

Hitomi groaned and sat up. The other two were not moving. She strode over to the door and pulled it fully open. "What's so important that you have to wake me up early in the morning?" she demanded.

"I thought you just want to know that a large ship bearing the flag of the King was seen over at Haruba Desert, jeez," the younger sister answered. "Even if not you, your friends will want to know."

Hitomi glanced over at the other two girls still in deep sleep on hastily made beds on the floor. "Yeah well they stayed up all night trying to decode ancient riddles. I highly doubt they will be awake at this hour. Wait. The King's ship was spotted at Haruba Desert?"

The younger sister nodded. "Yes. They didn't stop there so they most likely bypassed the Haruba port and headed straight for Pueltown. But that's not the point. A messenger of the King was sent to the village just now. The King wants Chicole Village for his own. We have two options, to fight for it or to just surrender without bloodshed. The villagers are discussing it now. So come down quickly."

The older sister nodded. The younger one ran down the stairs while Hitomi turned to the other two slumbering magicians. Or maybe not sleeping at all. "I know you two heard that," Hitomi said. "I know both your sleep patterns. So quit pretending and go."

Hinata turned around. "Well we had to look the part to make sure you get up as well," she answered. "Who was the one always waking up late, leaving Minami and I to open the shop?"

Hitomi flushed. "That's beside the point," she bit back. "Bathroom's on the right after you leave the room. I'm going first." She stormed over to her cupboard and picked out some clothes and fled the room.

"It was your fault," Minami grinned at her friend as she sat up. "You think the villagers are panicking right now?"

Hinata glanced over at the paper that lay open on the floor. Whereas it was blank the night before, it was now filled with words. "Forget it, Kira sent us something new," she said as she scrambled up. "She says she sent a few people here to help out should there be fighting. They'll arrive shortly before evening unless we call them. Kazuki, Joe, Talga, Sebun, Herb and Barrow will be sent here."

Minami lifted her index finger and drew a long line in the air, silver sparkles blinking in its trail. The beds folded up neatly and stacked itself beside Hitomi's desk. "Finally combat forces," she commented. "Guess Kira did learn from that Jungle Ruins fiasco. But why Kazuki?"

Hinata shrugged, Hitomi returned soon and the blue-haired magician went to the bathroom with new clothes. "What were you guys talking about?" Hitomi asked, drying her damp hair.

"Combat forces are coming in, to support us," Minami explained, drawing her legs up and leaning back on her hands. "There's Sebun, Barrow, Talga, Joe and Kazuki. If the villagers decide to keep their village, they'll be the ones training the fighters."

Hitomi let out a small 'oh' and looked out of the window. "Oh, by the way. When did you get a bell?" Hitomi asked out of the blue.

Minami looked puzzled. "What bell?"

"The glass bell that you had as a necklace," Hitomi explained, remembering the unique sound it made last night.

"… Hitomi… Are you sick?" Minami asked. "I have no bell necklace."

Hitomi's eyes widened in shock as she averted her eyes towards Minami's neck. The muffler was gone, lying on a stack of clothes. She was only wearing a plain t-shirt with nothing else covering her neck. And it was bare. There was no sign of a telltale string that suggested otherwise. Hitomi shook her head. It must have been a hallucination then. "Sorry. Guess I was dreaming."

Minami eyed the girl for a moment. "It's alright. Stress does that to people sometimes," she said cheerfully. "After I'm done let's head down to meet the other villagers."

Hinata chose that moment to enter the room. "I'm done. It's your turn," she said to Minami who picked up her stack of clothes and left. "Hitomi. I need somewhere safe to store something important." Outside, Minami walked to the bathroom quickly and locked the door behind her. She lifted the yellow muffler from her clothes. Underneath, was the said bell that Hitomi was asking about. She held it up with the string, the light glinting off the smooth surface of the bell. The symbol etched on the bell glowed softly.

"That was close," she muttered. "She nearly found out about you. No doubt she'll recognize it when she sees it. After all I did teach her about Guardians charms last night."

"_It's alright. You couldn't possible hide this in a normal pocket or something in case it gets smashed. Not that it smashes easily of course_," a voice answered in her head.

"True. But I should have been more careful. A bell makes a sound after all, and with a unique sound like this, it's kind of hard to keep it muffled," she answered.

"_Unfortunately I can't help you there. The best way seem to be keeping it muffled within your muffler and not moving so violently that it's jostled out of it. And remember our plan. Nobody must know the existence of this bell._"

"Alright. You heard about it did you? The village is talking about it."

"_That I did. If you were sent to Jungle Ruins that time, it was a catastrophe you could have prevented. This time, allow yourself to harness the power in addition to your own to protect the village. Just call for me when you need me_."

Minami smiled. "That I will definitely do."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The three girls ran down to the main area where the villagers were convening.

"This is OUR village, our farm, our lives," one woman was shouting. "No way are we letting the King take it just like that."

"But we are not seasoned fighters, nor are we trained soldiers," another answered angrily. "It'll save us a lot of pain and bloodshed if we just surrendered to the King."

"The King has a reason to target us, but why now and not earlier?" a man asked.

Hitomi groaned. This was harder than she thought if the villagers were arguing back and forth like this. This was not even a proper conference. "EVERYBODY, QUIET!" she shouted. The entire area fell silent immediately. "As all of you know, the King's forces are heading to our village as we are speaking. And here we are, debating like kids on whether to fight or not! The King isn't going to sit back and wait for you to decide. He will raze this place to the ground if we cannot reach a decision. We need to make one. And fast."

"Who made you leader anyway?" an arrogant woman pushed her way to Hitomi and demanded angrily. "Just because you were successful in making a living outside this village that doesn't give you any right to make this village your property."

Hitomi was about to make an angry comeback when Hinata silenced her with a raised hand. "Thing is, lady, when we arrived, everybody was arguing left and right on whether to fight or surrender. Fighting over whether to fight is not something that can be taken lightly. If half the village agrees to take up arms and protect the grounds while the other half prefer to stay huddled in the safety of their homes and wait for the danger to tide over, you will find yourself losing more people than if the entire village agrees to defend."

"And you are?" the woman sneered as she scanned Hinata. "You're not even from around here. Outsiders have no say in the fate of the village."

"On the contrary, I do," Hinata said. "I'm from Fiore. Yes, I'm a, as you say it, an outsider. I never been to Chicole Village until yesterday. However, my home, Ring Town was completely burned to the ground because the people could not decide to fight or to surrender. The messenger's waiting time was up and he went back to the King. That night, the army raided my town and burned all the houses to the ground. There was completely nothing left. Ring Town was erased from the Fiore map that night. I'm not even sure if there are people who want to rebuild it as opinions then differed again. But I do know that if you don't come to a decision quickly, that guy over there is going to go back to the commander. And then you will probably be sleeping with the ashes of your home tonight." She pointed to a small man in purple clothes, bearing the royal insignia. "How much time do you have left?" she asked him.

The man looked at his pocket watch. "I have until noon, Miss," he answered.

"There you have it," Hinata said. "You have until noon to decide. To fight or to flee. If you choose to fight, I have the authority to ask for extra forces to support and to train you. If you don't, well… I can't do anything. It's your choice."

The woman kept quiet but continued glaring angrily at Hinata. The silence in the air was thick and filled with apprehension and tension. Finally one man spoke up. "That blue-haired girl is right. We cannot afford to continue to bicker until noon. I say we defend the village. We may not be seasoned soldiers, but this is our home and we're going to be the ones to take care of it."

"I agree," another voice piped up from the crowd. "We shall fight!"

The mumblings of the crowd eventually grew louder and more excited. "FOR CHICOLE!" a burly farmer shouted, pumping his fist into the air. Other villagers, men and women alike, followed suit.

Hinata smiled. It looked like they made a decision. "Wonderful," she answered. "I shall inform you again when my forces arrive."

The farmer smiled at her. "Thank you Miss. You have our eternal gratitude for that speech you made. Truth is, I'm not sure if we can win. But at least we tried. Spirit is what makes Chicole people."

"I agree," Hinata answered. "I'm Hinata. I will be the healer here. This is my friend from Oblivia, Minami. She will be the support for the main force. Hitomi will take care of planning. Once my people get here, we will be training you for battle."

The farmer nodded. "I'm Axe. Pardon my curiousity Miss Hinata," he said but hesitated. "What are the forces you speak of? How is it that such a young one like you can order people around?"

"Oh, that's not really in my power. Only my superior can call people to come down and help us," Hinata explained. "The King has always been harsh on us. And destroying my home town as well as countless others. People have died during invasions. I'm not going to let that go. This calls for a revolution."

"Oh. So you're from the Revolutionary," he said. "I've heard about you guys. Through the grape vine, but only mere rumours of course. But I never thought…"

"That girls will also be in it? We get that sometimes," Minami cut in. "If you excuse us, we have some people to call." With that, Minami dragged Hinata away. "We're going to have to tell them to hurry here now. The messenger has left. We have maximum a week before the army strikes."

Hinata nodded. "Got it. I'll write to Kira now. No wait. I'll contact her directly. It's faster. And you?"

"I have a few minor business to take care of. You know, the usual," Minami answered vaguely. "I'll see you in a while." Hinata watched her friend ran off

_Weird. But not the first time_, she thought as she headed to Hitomi's house. _Might as well call Kira. _

Minami ran down the dirt road all the way to the beach. It overlooked the sea and there was a small cave at the end of it. Perfect. Shaking her muffler, the bell dropped onto her palm. She took off the bell and let it hang from her hand.

"It's here isn't it?" she asked softly.

"_No doubt. I can feel him._"

"… Him? I thought…."

The voice speaking to her snorted. "_All Guardians have genders, despite what legends say._"

Minami laughed lightly at the sarcasm. "Alright then. What's next?"

"_We wait for him to show up._"

* * *

A/N: This one took some time to write because I had to come up with Hinata's background story, somehow... And was playing Kingdom Hearts while writing -shot-

Legend:

Kazuki – Lunick  
Tsubasa – Supurna  
Shinbara – Hastings  
Hinata – Solana  
Minami – Summer  
Joe – Joel (Fall City's Base Leader)  
Hayate – Spenser  
Talga - Rand  
Sebun - Sven  
Herb - Wendy  
Barrow – Barlow (leader of the the Vientown base)  
Panema – Nema  
Leila – Leanne  
Natsuya – Ben  
Hajime – Kellyn  
Rizumi – Rhythmi  
Hitomi – Kate  
Axe – Arley, if I'm not wrong


	7. Sebun, Minami, Natsuya

**A/N:** Ok, I think I've been confusing some people for a while. My initial stance was to explain a bit of the past and jump straight into the current timeline, and explain things when the time comes. Seems like I succeeded in confusing people, and never made things clear. So here are a few info before the new chapter starts:

. Guardians are somewhat revered as Gods in this world. Possessing a Guardian Charm gives you the ability to summon the Guardian and use its abilities as the Guardian sees fit. However, Guardian Charms do not just appear to anybody. The Guardian needs to find someone with a clear mind and clean conscience before allowing the respective charm to be found by them. For Kira's case, she's an oracle. Or more like, a prophet whose main job is to try to read into the future, read tea leaves, and all that,,, divinity stuff. Cresselia chose to be her Guardian because Kira is very dedicated to her work. Anybody else who finds the charm is merely lucky, but if the Guardian finds the person unfit, they will not allow themselves to be summoned. So yeah, basically the Guardians pulls the strings

. Only two exceptions to the Guardian choosing a person: the Guardian that the Kabuto Armour commands. The person wearing the armour can force the Guardian to obey him. Similarly, he/she can get the Guardian to force another Guardian to synchro with the person holding the respective Guardian charm.

. Synchronzation rate. The higher the synchro rate with a Guardian the more powerful the person is. For Kira's case, her power lies in dispelling darkness and telepathy. Hey, it's Cresselia after all. Kira has high synchro rate with Cresselia because she has had it since before Minami came to obtain hers.

. Magicians. Minami, Hinata, Rizumi and Shinbara are prime examples. Both Hinata and Rizumi specialize in healing. Hinata mainly because of her not-yet-revealed-much past and Rizumi because she was trained that way. Shinbara still holds the record for the most powerful magician ever. Minami's abilities overpower both Hinata and Rizumi.

. Power. Power is not exactly how much you can throw at your enemies. ANYBODY can throw a meteor at them and claim to be powerful. The true meaning of power HERE is _control_. The more control you have over powerful attacks and abilities, the more 'power' you have. Absolute control can also be shifted via sheer willpower. So if you have insane wish to kill someone by fire, your control over the hottest lava is upped. Similarly with Minami, her anger against the King has upped her control to high levels. Vice versa, if you see someone who doesn't have anything to do with the current situation (e.g burning someone alive and you see a kid trapped within the flames) your control over, in this case fire, wavers and the fire might go out of control. Say you have a control level of 78 over fire. Someone you wish to kill requires a fire spell of 100 control. You hate that person so much that your control rate goes up to 100. But when you see the kid, you falter and your control goes back down to 78. The fire then goes out of control. (lol X-Men…). Practice can also help gain control.

. Possessing a Guardian. As said above, the ability to obtain a Guardian isn't simple. However, Kira and Minami have been shown to have Guardians already. Kira, an oracle, is not supposed to do anything else other than stuff that oracles do (I haven't researched much because it's not yet time to reveal why Kira hates the King so much other than banishing her from the castle). With a Guardian, Kira obtains extra abilities like telepathy (i.e when she forced Kazuki and Joe apart without physical contact). Minami, a more-than-average magician gets a huge magic boost when she came into possession of a Guardian charm. Therefore Kira suspects Minami to already have a Guardian. Usually it's one Guardian per person. Special cases exist if the person subconsciously requires more abilities to accomplish a goal.

. Revolutionary. Founded by Kira, it's an underground organization that is in its advanced stages to overthrow King Euron. It has its fair share of success and failures though.

. Knights. They are the elite department of the army. They and normal soldiers make up the main Royal Army. Other bodies are the Weaponry section, Scouting section, Healing, Transport etc etc.

. Spells. A form of magic control. Some spells require incantations like space warp. Others just require the right way of directing the magic to something you need to do, like make bed sheets fold themselves nicely by thinking about it and directing your magic towards it. Stronger spells like Rizumi's memory spell however, require a long string of incantation.

Ok, I don't think I missed out anything.

* * *

Hitomi watched fire rage across the large field before dissipating into gray wisps of smoke. However there was no sign of the grass being singed. It was followed up by a huge waterspout which broke apart into a tsunami. The water vanished before doing any real damage to the grass.

"I asked usage of the field for this?" Hitomi muttered to herself as she watched the older girl cast another spell, this time a swirling tornado. A green energy ripple caught her eye. Minami must have put some protection spell over the grass to keep her spells from doing any damage. Anything offensive Hitomi knew that Minami was capable of were only small pranks that kept Hajime wary from flirting with her seeing as she only joined the underground ranks the previous year. However feeling the scorching heat from the flames at a fair distance away made her change her mind. She looked up to see a huge wall of water towering over her and shrieked. Instantly, the water broke into a normal wave and evaporated. "Don't… EVER do that again," Hitomi gasped out between breaths.

Minami had the gall to look sheepish. "Sorry… You kinda spaced out there and I thought…"

"That a huge wall of water that can potentially break bones and drown me will snap me back to reality. Right. Noted. Triple noted. I'll just run away whenever I see a towering wall of water headed for me," Hitomi finished for her. "Why are you practicing now anyway? It's not like they'll attack in the dead of the night."

Minami's face darkened. "They did that for Aqua Town," she replied. "You never know what the King is thinking about." She looked over at the field borders and spotted blue hair. Hinata waved to her.

"Minami! They're here!" Hinata shouted. She beckoned a group of people over. "I think we might have a winning chance. I mean, it's Talga and Sebun. Reowned 'Trainers from Hell'."

"Hey!" both men protested.

"What? It's true. Judging from the spike in number of commoners coming in for healing sessions. And more than half are from your sections," Hinata pointed out. "Speaking of them, are they coming to help or not?"

"Soon, Herb has gone back to fetch them. They won't be back that fast but fast enough for us to round up villagers to train," Sebun replied. "Ah, Hitomi, just the person we need."

"And about time," Hitomi shot back. "When are your people coming over? Some people are asking me if they will be part of the fighting forces or not."

"We'll go round up the villagers now and start training at dawn tomorrow," Talga explained. "Just in case the royal forces decide to act next week."

Hinata cut in. "Actually the likelihood of being next week is very low. The messenger refused to give details but Shinbara has sent word. They will be visiting Oblivian areas first before planning. Meaning the King will be touring about half of Almia and will give orders when he returns. Which is estimated to take around 2 weeks."

"More than enough time to train up the forces," Sebun quipped in. "Alright then. Will the pretty young lady over there take us around the village?"

Hitomi scowled. "I should really get myself a boyfriend and ask him to keep you at arm's length," she muttered to herself as she led Sebun and Talga towards the village. "By the way Kazuki and Joe. I asked around and one of my neighbours agreed to let the Rev people camp out in an unused field. I'll take you there later. Right now you can head to my place for a while."

"Got it," Kazuki hollered back. "Why the glum face Hinata?"

The blue-haired magician shrugged. "No idea. I just got a weird feeling this time. Like something bad is going to happen."

Nobody said anything for a while. Minami sighed. "I'm heading to Nabiki Beach for a walk. Hinata, you can take them to Hitomi's place. I'll see you tonight." She turned and ran all the way back to the village. "This thing is going to take a while," she muttered.

"_Then why don't you try out that new trick I taught you?_"

The magician strolled casually through the village, heading for the hill that led to a nearby town. _That's the whole reason I'm going to a beach_, she told the voice mentally. _Or would you rather I go back to Partner Farm's beach and show the whole world what I'm really capable of?_

The voice chuckled. "_Not exactly. What's with your tendency of covering up what you can really do anyway? If it's to trick Kira and give you less demanding missions, I can tell you it ain't working. Cresselia probably know of my existence already._"

Minami's face was calm as she left the village behind her, occasionally glancing left and right for unwanted company. _I know. That anti-detection shield wasn't strong. And covering up, It's to let people's guards down._

"_Useless, dear magician. Letting down guards isn't something Euron is going to do. You'll have to fight your way into the castle. But you know that you alone cannot overpower Euron._"

She finally reached the outskirts of Vientown. People bustled left and right. Aqua Town was similar in scenery, but the people were mostly those of outsiders. People who visited the town. The real townsfolk were either working in the castle, not allowed to go out except for a select few divisions or working outside the town where the farms were or selling goods in the marketplace. No one really had the excess money to spend. Hajime was from the former group but his family were of the second type. She turned left to the forest path that led to Nabiki Beach. _Yes I know the whole trio thing. I need to find people holding the other two Guardians. Only then can I stand on equal ground with the second tier Guardians. Of course I have to fight my way into the castle, when did you deduce that? Just? Since when you became a psychic and try to predict the future anyway. I thought that was Lady Cresselia's job.  
_

"_How about I tell you a little something I found out over a while ago? That guy with the hat, Sebun I think his name is, has the imprint of a Guardian._"

That made Minami stop on her tracks. "What?" she demanded out loud. Luckily she was already in the forest. Townspeople tended to avoid people who talked to themselves, much less shouting to the thin air. At least that was the case back in Aqua Town.

"_Lower your volume, girl. I never said that he actually possessed one. I merely said a Guardian is watching him. Soon he will be in possession of a Guardian charm. Got the feeling Kira will be the one giving it to him. He will receive the power of light._"

The beach soon came into view. _I wish you would stop speaking in riddles sometimes. What light? I don't remember a Guardian ever having to the attribute of light._

The voice laughed. "_The weather conditions are a lot more than a little squabble of Rayquaza, Kyogre and Groudon." _There was no sound for a while_. "… Is it me or is the beach a lot more crowded than any normal beach has any right to be?_"

… _Arceus damn Oblivia guards. What are they doing here?_ Indeed, the entire beach was crawling with soldiers donned in the national green colour of Oblivia. They were parading up and down the sandy ground. Minami stopped walking. "Giratina hates us today, doesn't he?" she muttered. She barely had time to think of her next step when someone behind her shouted.

"Who goes there?"

* * *

A tall man with white hair stood on the main space on the large ship. He surveyed the assembled squads in front of him. Abruptly he turned his back towards them. "How the hell did I get myself in charge of new recruits?" he sighed as he thought of how to relay his orders to them. After all they are new, fresh out of the knight school. There were a few terms that they would not know.

A boy beside Natsuya nudged him. "What is Commander Yuuki doing?" he whispered.

"No idea. I think he's buying time to try to remember his orders," Natsuya whispered back. Both boys fell into fits of giggles until their commander turned back.

"Ok, listen up boys," Yuuki announced loudly. "We're now docked in Almia, Pueltown. However, our base camp is still far away. In fact we need to walk about half a day to reach it. The King has taken most of the other soldiers with him on his tour around Almia to check on the towns in Oblivia's name. As such, you boys are to go to the base camp and set it up." A series of groans followed. "Come on, there's got to be at least thirty of you. It'll work if everybody sticks to the route, and cooperate with each other at base camp."

Natsuya heard his friend sigh beside him. "And here I thought we were going on some secret expedition."

"But," Yuuki continued when the groans died down. "Commander Yarai has asked me to check out something in Vientown. Therefore from Vientown onwards, one of you will lead the others to our base camp, located at Breeze Hill. I asked Hayate who here will be most suitable for the role of a temporary leader." He could feel the tension. Some hoping to get the job, others thinking that they could not possibly be chosen. "I will announce it when we reach Vientown," he concluded with finality.

"What? How can he keep us in the dark like this?" the same person exclaimed softly. "This is going to kill me all the way to Vientown."

Natsuya laughed. "He's a Commander. And we're just junior knights," he reasoned. "Come on, it's time to go."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The walk to Vientown was long and tiring. Natsuya pitied the postmen and newspaper delivery boys who had to deliver mail and newspapers. They left Pueltown and reached a forest of sorts. Yuuki immediately brought them the long way around a cliff which he claimed that he will not be held responsible for those who want to try their luck to take the shortcut. After crossing the forest, they reached a stream and into _another_ forest. Natsuya was starting to hate the sight of trees.

"And here we are: Vientown," Yuuki announced.

Natsuya snapped out of his thoughts and looked past the Commander. It was just like any other town. Busy and full of people. Only difference was there is no castle at the edge of town like in Oblivia. Yuuki brought them all the way to the main town square.

"Alright. I'll be leaving for that errand Commander Yarai sent me on," Yuuki said. "Breeze Hill is just past Nabiki Beach, through a forest path on the left according to the map. Each squad will have a different leader. I wants all three leaders to cooperate ok?" He turned to the first squad on his right. "Squad A, Natsuya will take you there. You will take the route via the cow farm."

Natsuya was stunned. "What?" he asked.

"The cow farm. Vientown is not under Oblivia but we can't forego any investigations for speed. Consider this as patrol," Yuuki explained to the boy.

"Yes I know that. Why me?" Natsuya repeated his question.

"Natsuya, imagine this. The road to Nabiki Beach is a forest path. Often used, but still, a forest path. In the forest, people can be lurking. We have rumours of an underground revolution lately have we? Us knights are especially powerless against magicians. So what happens if a magician is lying in ambush waiting to take us out a bit at a time?"

"… Actually Commander, what are the chances of that happening?" he queried. This was one weird situation.

"Either way Hayate recommended you," Yuuki snapped at him. "The situation I described IS real and CAN happen. Among all here, you are the _only_ one who has any skills in protection magic. Now go."

The squad saluted and scuttled down the road to the cow farm. "That, was one weird order," one of the knights commented when they were well out of Yuuki's hearing range. "What are the chances of a magician hiding in a forest and knowing our base camp location anyway?"

Natsuya shrugged. "Nearly zero. But I don't get why I'm the shield."

They passed by the cow farm silently. The farmers barely acknowledged them though. Natsuya honestly saw no point in the so-called patrol. The Commander was paranoid enough about the revolution rumours to send them on a wild goose chase. And then again, Yuuki never did anything without solid proof. They ventured into the forest path that led to Nabiki Beach, only to find that someone was blocking their path.

"Wow, who would've thought the Commander was a psychic," one of the knights whispered. "There's a girl standing right there. Natsuya, do something."

"Do what? She could be harmless for all we know," Natsuya whispered back hurriedly. For some reason he found the girl familiar. "Who goes there?" he called out.

The girl turned around. Natsuya instantly recognized the face of the magician Hajime was friends with. "Oh, it's you. That magician my brother knows, Minami," he said lamely. "What're you doing here?"

"Oblivia knights," she snapped. "I should've known. I suppose you're on your way to where the soldiers are all marching up and down. Honestly, how do your higher-ups plan this by letting you guys sleep on a beach?"

Natsuya ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "Look, we're just on our way there. I understand if you're on your way to Nabiki Beach only to find that it's occupied and feeling irritated. You're a magician, you can go practice somewhere else right?"

His last sentence seemed to have caused her to snap. Her brown eyes started emanating a blue glow. "Practice?" she repeated and smirked. "Sure why not? After all, a water specialist is most apt near large bodies of water."

"_A water specialist is most apt near large bodies of water._"

"_You kids both specialize in different elements. Natsuya, darkness. -, water."_

Pain shot through Natsuya's skull as the magician advanced on them slowly, blue fire faintly surrounding her figure.

"_No fair, why can't we get the same elements."_

"_But a water specialist will be the guardian magician for this town."_

The blue fire intensified, so did the pain in his head. Natsuya brought a hand up in a weak attempt to alleviate the voices. Minami raised a hand. In his mind, he saw a shadowy figure of a young child doing the same. Both magician and the shadowy child's hand started pulsing a blue bright blue light. Behind both of them, water churned into a large raging waterspout.

"_Tempestas Aquae_!" both of them shouted. The sheer volume of water rushed to them at surprising speed. The wind that rushed through the trees was a signal of the power. He could hear the shouts of the knights behind him as they encouraged him to do something to stop the quickly incoming flood. The pain was intensified further.

He stretched out his free hand. His lips suddenly shouted an incantation he never remembered ever learning. "Barrière de Lumière!"

A bright golden dome covered him and the other knights sprang up just in time as the water was on them. The liquid roared all around them but they were safe under the bright golden wall of light. When all was silent, the wall vanished in a cloud of golden dust. Natsuya cracked open an eye, not aware that he had closed them in the first place. He jumped to his feet and checked that the other knights were safe. Turning around, he saw a shocked magician staring at him.

"What?" he asked in annoyance. "You're the one who started it."

"H… How…" she started to say but seemed at a loss for words. "Where did you learn that?"

One of the other knights jumped to his defense. "Natsuya doesn't happen to be good in close combat, he also has magic skills. He isn't your normal knight. Maybe you should think twice before attacking us again, magician."

At the mention of both 'knight' and 'magic' in the same phrase Minami's eyes narrowed. "What? A knight powerful in fighting and abilities as a magician? That's absurd," she retorted, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at the other knight.

"That's Natsuya for you, magician," he answered angrily. "We'll let you go today as we're in a hurry. Next time we won't be so kind."

"What're you going to do, turn me into a pile of minced meat? I'd like to see you try," she challenged.

Natsuya jumped between both arguing parties. "Ok that's enough," he said firmly. "I'm sorry for my friend's behaviour towards you, Minami. But please refrain from randomly attacking us in future."

"I'll let you off since you're Hajime's brother," she said with a deathly calm tone. "But be warned, next time I see another Oblivia knight squad I won't be playing nice."

"Natsuya," he cut in. "I have a name: Natsuya. You could at least refer to me by name." He did not miss the shock that darted through her brown eyes.

"Whatever, I have better things to do than to argue with a group of fresh graduates," Minami declared as she left in the direction of Vientown. The squad watched the magician girl leave sith mixed expressions.

"She could've apologized at least," the knight who fought verbally with her fumed. "At least you really saved us all, Natsuya."

"You gave your name away so readily," another knight sighed. "She can be learned in voodoo magic for all we know."

Natsuya shrugged. "What's done is done," he said. "Come on, let's continue to Breeze Hill before Commander Yuuki murders us all." The group murmured their agreement and continued walking. But the leader was deep in thought.

_Why did that magician and the shadowy child do the exact same actions with the same spell? And how did I know the words to activated the golden wall of light?_

* * *

Name Legend:

Minami - Summer  
Rizumi - Rhythmi  
Hinata - Solana  
Shinbara – Hastings  
Kazuki – Lunick  
Joe – Joel  
Euron – Ellois  
Hitomi – Kate  
Talga – Rand  
Sebun – Sven (this guy's name is tricky. So very much)  
Herb – Wendy  
Hajime – Kellyn  
Natsuya – Ben  
Yuuki – Garret  
Yarai – Billy

_Arceus_ – It's their way of saying "damn it". Arceus is the god of all Pokemon_  
Giratina_ – Giratina, master of the Reverse World. In a way, it's a watered –down version of hell. It's their way of saying 'Hell hates us".

First spell - Water Storm, Latin. According to Google Translate  
Second spell - Barrier of Light. According to Babelfish

**A/N:** I don't know how Rowling does it. I spent like, half an hour finding a suitable phrase for a spell that isn't too long or too short. Sorry for any lateness. Was caught up in school rush, Christmas rush at work and temporary writer's block. Only way for me to get rid of it is to rewrite from scratch. Version 1 written in 5 days, version 2 rewritten and completed in 3 days.


	8. Blue Eye, Hayate

**A/N:** Wow. I wrote, edited, proofread, re-edited, rewrote all of this in 5 days. 95 percent of it was done on my phone 8)

* * *

Minami ran as fast as she could back to Chicole Village, not caring for whatever that was in her path. She pushed a random person away while passing by Vientown as quickly as possible.

_He's alive. Natsuya's alive_, her mind chanted nonstop.

"_Yes I got the point your friend's alive now will you please shut out that string of thought to me?_"

_Sorry. I wasn't aware it was not blocked_, Minami apologized as she dashed down the path to Chicole Village.

"_My dear girl. You're a magician. Can't you utilize some wind spells for speed?_"

Minami chose to ignore the voice as she headed straight for Hitomi's house. She spotted Hinata's blue hair rightaway. "Hinata!" she shouted to gain the other's attention.

Hinata broke away from a conversation with Kazuki. She did a double take when she saw Minami running towards her. "Oh Arceus. Breathe. Take a deep breath and tell me what happened," Hinata told her friend as she slowed down and panted for breath.

"Nabiki Beach and its areas were occupied by Oblivian soldiers," Minami said the moment she regained her breath. "But that's not the point. A group of knights arrived behind me after i reached the forest path. I was so mad about the army occupying the beach I... sort of attacked them with _Tempestas Aquae_. One of them, Hajime's brother, suddenly activated Light Barrier and protected everybody."

"So you're saying, this knight knows magic," Kazuki piped in. "Their commanders are getting smart, sending knights with magic skills into the field."

Minami glared at him. "You really are not looking at the big picture. Knights spend their youth in the training school and are enlisted the moment they graduate. They serve the army for life. There is no time to learn magic as they need to stay in top shape for any last minute orders. Even so, magic is taught at a young age, to encourage kids to continue the profession of a magician. The road of a magician isn't easy as one need to continuously stay updated and improving every day. No magician will teach a child magic if the child doesn't aspire to be a magician."

Hinata rubbed her temple. "That's precisely why you didn't want to learn magic. Teacher said there's no point teaching you if you have no dream of becoming a magician. Sorry Kazuki but I need you to find Joe and the rest and tell them about this knight with magic skills. Don't mention names ok?"

Kazuki gave a thumbs up and ran off presumably to find the other men. Hinata turned back to Minami. "I know that look in your eyes. You want to tell me something in secret. What is it?"

Minami bit her lip nervously. "Remember my friend I told you about? The one that I'm still looking for? I saw him. Talked to him. But..." Her voice trailed off, unwilling to speak further. Hinata gave her a well-known stare. The one that said 'spill it or I'll make you".

"He was the one who casted Light Barrier. And I even met him before, that day when I met Hajime before coming to Almia. He's..." Minami broke off. Her throat was hurting so bad by refraining from breaking down in front of Hinata. "He's... Hajime's brother."

Hinata's eyes widened. "What? It's too coincidental."

"True. I saw no point in telling Hajime as you know I have issues with telling anyone who are not that close to me," Minami admitted. "He probably doesn't know anyway."

"Ok chill, at least you finally found him after like what, eight years?" Hinata said gently as she attempted to soothe Minami.

Minami looked down at the ground. "But when he looked at me and said my name, it was like he was addressing a stranger," she nearly whispered. "To think I worry about him all these years and he forgotten me during this time."

Seeing how distressed the other girl was, Hinata hugged her friend. "When we settle this invasion, we're going to hunt down Hajime and force some answers from him. Then we'll confront Natsuya alright?" She felt Minami nod on her shoulder. "Now lighten up. We're going down to Hitomi's family farm. Her father gave us the go-ahead to practice there."

* * *

Natsuya could feel eyes boring at the back of his skull. Given the few number of commanders there, there is only one who can do that. He gulped as he knelt down and attempted to focus on the pegs of the tent he was currently building with a few other junior knights. One of them glanced to the side and looked at Natsuya. Under the pretence of handing him a rope, he whispered to the other, "I think Commander Youji is glaring at you."

Natsuya groaned inaudibly. "Why me?" he asked in a whisper. "I did nothing! Ok, maybe that stunt after that magician girl pulled. But if I didn't, we'll all be in the medical wing with broken bones."

"I'm not sure. Oh fantastic. I think he called Blue Eye over," the other knight told him softly. "Seems like he's asking her something. She looks really surprised. Oh, good luck, she's coming over."

He scurried away before Natsuya could say anything. A shadow fell over him. He looked up to see a woman with a blue streak in her short blonde hair and striking blue eyes bending over to look at him. "Are you Fuusei Natsuya?" she asked. Natsuya nodded. She stood straight up. "Follow me," she told him.

Natsuya got up and followed her down the other side of the hill. They stopped when they reached another beach. The woman turned to look at him. "Ok, first off, I'm Blue Eye. I'm not exactly a Commander per se. I'm a magician, one for offense. Technically speaking, strategic offense but that's not the point," she introduced herself. "I heard from the others in your squad. You protected them from a large water wave summoned by a magician. I contacted both Hayate and Yuuki earlier. Both affirmed that you do indeed, possess magic skills. Youji have asked me earlier to test you out. Now about that spell you used to protect your friends, what was it?"

"I... I don't know," Natsuya admitted, looking at the sand at his feet. "I just got this… feeling that it was supposed to be used. In fact I don't even remember learning it before. Then again I don't remember anything before I was adopted."

Blue Eye frowned. "Really? According to your squad, you called up a golden wall of light to protect them. As far as I know, it's a more advanced form of barrier called Light Barrier. I wonder..." Blue Eye looked out at the sea. "Do you remember the spell the magician used?"

Natsuya nodded. "I think she said _Tempestas Aquae _or something."

Her blue eyes widened. "That... is an extremely difficult spell to master."

"She did say she's a water specialist," Natsuya shrugged.

"Well why didn't you say so earlier?" Blue Eye snapped at him. "Ok. Seems like I'm going to have to teach you a little about magic should you face similar opponents in future. All magicians have an element they specialize in. There are sixteen elements in all. There's a seventeenth but that's for certain Guardians only. There are Fire, Water, Nature, Ice, Air, Darkness, Light, Poison, Earth, Steel, Geo, Thunder, Force, Reverse, Neutral and Insect. Actually Neutral is just a general term for magicians who don't specialize. Elements are also related like Water to Ice, Darkness to Reverse, Earth to Geo, you get the point. Of course each element has weaknesses to other types. Such as Fire to Ice, Force to Steel, Air to Insect. That magician is of Water element, so her weaknesses are Thunder and Nature. Speaking of which, what specialization are you?"

"... Darkness. I vaguely remember someone telling me Darkness," was the reply.

Blue Eye whistled. "Yet you are able to activate Light Barrier, a spell of light attribute. Oh well, light is weak to darkness in a sense. So here's the lesson of the day: I want you to summon Thunder and Nature and incorporate them into your attacks." She noted Natsuya's shock. "What, you thought Aria was the only one capable of turning magic into weapons? I was the one who invented that method with her. Now I'll teach you how to summon a thunderbolt with magic."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Natsuya returned to the camp extremely worn out. Blue Eye held an insanely high expectation but he was able to recreate a lightning bolt that she demonstrated. After roughly twenty times or more. That and she was impressed with that combination he shown Hajime on the ship.

"You will do fine against that magician the next time you see her," Blue Eye assured him.

Natsuya looked at the dark energy blade that was still crackling in his hand. "But... Why? She could probably be in Almia for a vacation for all we know."

"Fuusei Natsuya! There are rumors of a revolt against the King as we speak," Blue Eye exclaimed. "Our correspondence with the spies in the regions should be able to confirm it soon. We serve the King, to protect him from such. I may not like the way he rules but it's my duty as a Royal Magician to prevent the King from harm." She took a deep breath. "That girl could be one of them."

The last sentence hit Natsuya harder than he expected, for reasons he did not quite comprehend. "She doesn't seem like someone who wants to hurt people deliberately. She probably was just mad that the beach was taken," he reasoned.

"Listen, no magician will master _Tempestas Aquae_ for no real reason, especially for someone her age. That spell is designed to potentially kill an entire town in under thirty minutes," Blue Eye explained. "Trust me. You will most likely encounter that girl again in near future."

She then told him to go back and get some rest with the reminder to meet her at the same place every other day to practice.

"Arceus, Natsuya what happened to you?" one of the knights in camp said in surprise. "You look dead on your feet. Did you go visit Giratina and return?"

Natsuya recognized the voice as someone from the same squad as him. "Blue Eye was teaching me how to summon a thunderbolt," he muttered. "Which one is ours?" The knight pointed to another tent about halfway through the area. "Thanks," he said as he dragged himself to his destination. Upon reaching the tent, he collapsed on one of the beds laid out on the floor and promptly blacked out.

* * *

"_Primavera Erba_."

"_Hajikeru Honoo_!"

A series of small flame bursts lit up a clump of grass that sprung up from the field. Hinata watched the flames burn the grass in satisfaction before waving the flames away. The burnt grass crumbled into ash as she willed it to return back to earth. She planned her next move carefully.

"_Chiarore Solare_."

The field was covered in a golden blanket, and burning hot. Occasionally a tall flame would burst forth from the blanket like an eruption and return to the ground. The locations of the erupting flames were completely random, but Hinata knew that Minami would get out of this as usual. Indeed after the field turned gold, Minami jumped into the air and stayed there. _Ventus Ferre_, Hinata observed. A fairly tricky silent spell that allows someone to ride on the currents of the wind. Even so, the person would slowly lose altitude and land. She faintly heard the sound of a bell. Her focus shifted a little. _Maybe it's the village bell or something_, she thought as she concentrated on maintaining the hot gold surface.

"_Pluvia_."

At Minami's command, dark clouds gathered and rain fell in torrents. It only occurred in the field they were using though. The gold ground hissed angrily after coming into contact with water but it gradually cooled into a hard rock. Hinata smiled. It was one of her most powerful offensive spells and Minami cleared it. She willed the rock to crumble into ash and called on the wind to discard it.

"Not bad," she commented. "After all, you should know that direct attacks with water in one area won't work as the molten rock will just flow over and overpower the water."

Minami said nothing and Hinata was about to say something else when they heard clapping beside them. Axe was leaning against the fence near them. "Bravo! Encore, encore," he laughed. "That was some show. If you girls weren't part of the defense forces I would contact a friend and tell him that there are two girls here who can perform daredevil stunts with magic."

Hinata flushed. "Well, I'm more passive. Minami is more aggressive. That's a difference," she explained. "Besides, I don't like to fight much. My specialization is Nature, in healing. I don't think your friend wants a healer."

"Ah, I see…" Axe said. "I was just passing by the area when I saw a golden light and then dark clouds. If this is merely a practice round, I can't wait to see the actual thing."

"I see… Why're you here Mr Axe? I thought Sebun and Talga were supposed to be training villagers," Hinata enquired.

"Oh those two. They said they feel bad if they make an old man like me train alongside the younger ones so if I want to defend Chicole Village that badly, I can attend the training sessions anytime I like, instead of attending everyday," Axe explained. "It's getting dark soon. It's dangerous for girls like you to be out late."

It elicited a fit of laughter from Hinata. "I salute any man who escapes Minami's wrath unscathed. But since you have so kindly reminded us, we shall stop for the night. See you again, Mr Axe. Minami let's go." She pulled the other along until they were out of Axe's hearing range. "What's with you? You're seldom so quiet and unresponsive. Plus your spells are not up ro standard at all." Minami avoided Hinata's gaze and looked at the ground instead. The answer dawned on Hinata. "It's him isn't it? Never thought I'll see the day when a boy will cause a drastic change in your behaviour." She earned a glare from Minami instead. Hinata shrugged and headed down the path alone.

"_You're being awfully distracted today_."

_I know_, Minami thought as she walked down the path that Hinata was on. _It's a huge shock. After eight years, it's just unbelievabe to see him again. Alive. No wonder he looked familiar when I saw him back then. Also Hajime never told me his name so I guess I didn't exactly piece the pieces together then._

"_And yet you're allowing one boy to interfere with your judgement. This isn't how a professional magician should be. You still have to honour the agreement you made when you first came into possession of the Crystal Bell. If one boy can sway you like this, what are the chances of it happening again when the time comes to force Euron to his knees?_"

The logic in the speech caused her to stop walking. _I... I don't know. Everything's coming together so quickly and suddenly. I don't know what to think anymore_, she admitted mentally.

"_Priorities. Protect this village and seek answers later. Everything will fall into place with time. Remember this, Minami._"

She could not stop the small smile that crept onto her lips. _You called me by name_, she thought.

"_So I did. It's about time you started referring to me by name too. Otherwise I wouldn't know which string of thought to listen to._"

She brought her walking to a standstill. She had stopped at the beach of Hitomi's family farm. The sound of breaking waves calmed her somewhat. _Yes, Lord Suicune._

* * *

Hajime found Dazzle sitting by the fire. They were told to follow the King on his visit to Oblivian towns and night has fallen over Boyleland. It was an understatement to say the air was hot and humid. Hajime felt like he could cook an egg over one of the random rocks around him. It rivalled the heat from Haruba Desert.

"How is it that you're comfortably sitting here watching the crowd when I'm practically dying of dehydration here?" Hajime asked as he took a seat beside Dazzle.

"Easy. When you think cool, you're cool," Dazzle answered. "Ease up. We'll be heading back to Angel Village tomorrow and continue our journey to Hia Town. By then you'll be missing the heat and warmth of Boyleland."

Hajime took a swig out of the water bottle he carried along with him. "I'm a person of ice, not fire," he answered.

"Explains so much yet so little," Dazzle teased. "No wonder you're always getting on Hitomi's bad side. Fire and ice don't quite agree."

Hajime turned his gaze to the starry sky. "Personally I think the fire has mellowed out a lot," he commented. "First time I saw her obey her boss's command I half expected her to scowl and curse under her breath. She really loves her current job, for some reason."

Dazzle threw another stick into the fire. "Didn't know Hitomi had it in her. Who is her boss anyway?" he asked.

Hajime gave the fire a cryptic glance. "Isn't it hot enough here? And she has two employers. Although you might think the three of them are more like friends," he replied.

"The firelight is stronger than candlelight anyway. Not like we have any Thunder-powered equipment here," Dazzle said. "It's getting late. We're setting off once the King finalizes whatever he's doing tomorrow morning. We still have Hia Town and Nurie Mountain left to cover."

Hajime groaned. "The King has it easy. He rides on a white stallion along with the Prince. We, the knights walk along with the lower class soldiers!"

"And I'll send you all the way to Nurie Mountain and back if I hear that one more time, Fuusei Hajime," a well-known voice behind him threatened.

Dazzle gave a small 'eep' and quickly saluted. "Commander Hayate," he greeted. Hajime quickly scrambled up and mimicked Dazzle's actions. The intense glare from the green-haired man did not lessen. Hajime could feel cold sweat breaking out.

"Seitou Dazzle, you may leave us alone," Hayate told Dazzle who gave a sympathic glance at Hajime before scurrying off.

"Uh, Commander. Do you need me to do something?" Hajime asked, half fearing being told scout duty.

Hayate sighed and scratched his head. "I had news from our base camp. Regarding Fuusei Natsuya," Hayate said. He held up a hand to signal silence when Hajime wante to say something. "His squad met a magician who attacked them. Fuusei Natsuya protected them with an advanced barrier spell."

Hajime fidgeted. "Well? What happened?" he asked impatiently.

Hayate kept quiet for a while. "I knew about his magical abilities on the day of the initiation. He admitted it to me during the student-mentor session. In fact I encouraged him to combine magic and swordplay although I believe Youji has already told Blue Eye to do. Which is why I allowed him to come with us to Almia. But advanced magic for a knight is no mean feat," he explained. "You won't find another knight here who is proficient in anything but the vey basics of magic. Even I cannot perform a basic healing spell."

Hajime slowly took in all of this. "So?"

"Tell me everything, about Fuusei Natsuya. This is an order," Hayate said firmly.

* * *

Name Legend:

Minami – Summer  
Hitomi - Kate  
Hinata – Solana  
Kazuki – Lunick  
Hajime – Kellyn  
Natsuya – Ben  
Youji – Clyde  
Blue Eye – Blue Eyes (pretty obvious)  
Axe - Arley  
Dazzle - Keith  
Hayate – Spenser

_Nurie Mountain_ – Chroma Highlands. It might as well be a mountain with a complex system of caves. _Nurie_ (nu-ree-ay) is the Japanese name for Chroma.

_Angel Village_ – Altru. Altru's Japanese name is 'Angel', but the words in exact Katakana is '_anhel_', which… I don't know what it means, really.

_Fuusei_ - means ' voice of the wind'. A more direct translation would be _kaze no oto_ (sound of the wind) but I can't possibly use that. So I took out _no_ and replaced _oto_ with _koe_. Both mean sound but _oto_ is the more general meaning while _koe_ is the sound of a voice.

_Seitou_ - starlight. I used the kanji for star and light and went through a few pronounciations for it. This is one of the few that is easy to say.

_Elements_ – Basically 16 out of 17 of the Pokemon types. I took some liberties though. Nature is Grass, Air is Flying, Light is Psychic, Earth is Ground, Geo is Rock, Thunder is Electric, Force is Fighting, Reverse is Ghost, Neutral is Normal and Insect is of course, Bug. The harder ones were Psychic, Ghost and Fighting. I decided to leave Poison alone because Poison can mean acid or alkali which are actually used in chemical experiments. Since Psychic is weak to Dark, I decided to rename Psychic into Light. So there's the whole 'light and darkness thing'. Reverse is antimatter, which ghosts are believed to be made from. Or rather ectoplasm. Since fighting is basically brute strength, Force is the only thing I can think of. The seventeenth element is of course, Dragon.

_Light Barrier_ – Light Screen. Same properties

_Primavera Erba_ – Spring Grass (Google Translate)

_Hajikeru Honoo_ – Flame Burst (Bulbapedia)

_Chiarore Solare_ – Solar Flare (Babelfish)

_Pluvia_ – Rainfall (Google Translate)


	9. Hajime, Sebun

**A/N:** This will be the last update for January. School's backlogs are catching up to me in a rush and I can't afford to spend anymore hours at night typing/writing/smashing the keys of my phone (yes I'm one of those who stay up insanely late just to write a few paragraphs) so I effectively sent my chapter 10 muse on vacation. I'll probably start writing again during the Lunar New Year. I get a lot of me-time at my grandparent's place anyway (Yeah. Try to stay focused to only the TV for about 12 hours straight, mealtimes included or engage in family betting). I'll still answer questions in reviews though.

* * *

"Tell me everything, about Fuusei Natsuya. This is an order," Hayate said firmly.

"You're asking for personal interest, Commander," Hajime stated flatly. "You can make it into an order but wanted information for personal gain, I can refuse. Why do you want to know about Natsuya anyway? He's just a not-so-average knight."

"Like I said before, no normal knight can cast advanced spells. Red Eye believes that his magic skills are already in the advanced stages when your family first enrolled him into the training school. What I, or rather most of the higher ups want to know is, how this is possible. And also if you are able to do the same," Hayate explained. "If possible, we can recreate Fuusei Natsuya's situation for each eligible student for the school."

The last sentence made something within Hajime snap. "Recreate?" he echoed. "I can't believe it. You want to dig up his past for the sole purpose of benefitting the Royal Army. Whatever happened to privacy?"

"I said if possible," Hayate snapped. "Imagine. With advanced stages of magic at your fingertips, we can increase our defenses against magicians. That will give the revolutionary, if they even exist, something to watch out for. The Oblivian forces are not going to leave one big weakness wide open to the enemy."

Hajime kept himself back from a sarcastic remark. "There isn't much I can tell you," he finally said. "Natsuya and I are not blood related." He ignored the astonished look Hayate was giving him. "My parents adopted Natsuya after my father found him already unconscious in the woods of Sorberlas Valley. When he came back with him, Natsuya was bleeding quite a lot from a head wound. He took about three days to wake up. I was around when he opened his eyes. I asked him for his name, he was able to tell me. But when I asked him what he was doing at the bottom of the valley, he took a long time to think before finally answering 'I don't know'. My mother came in soon after that and started enquiring about himself, family and home. He drew a blank at all the questions. That time, I was about to go to the Knight Training School so I couldn't do much to help. Mother was a housewife so she stayed home most of the time. Father was carting fallen trees from the valley to Aqua Town then. Even so he was roaming only in the industrial sector of town. We don't know much if a boy then was reported missing in town. After a few months, Natsuya caused water from a nearby stream to soak the entire field in front of our house. I think it was during holidays and I was watering the plants with a hose and sprayed him for fun. He wanted to get back at me so he went to the stream with a bucket. But shortly after that I heard someone screaming and a large water wave heading our way. The water crashed down onto the field. Mother heard the commotion and rushed out too. We saw Natsuya in shock by the stream, the bucket lying somewhere away from him. Mother managed to get him to calm down and asked what happened. Natsuya answered that he was scooping water with the bucket but it wouldn't fill as much as he wanted it to. Then the water rushed up and formed a large wave and he didn't know what happened next. Mother asked Natsuya to show her again. I saw the water rushing down at incredible speed. Natsuya didn't know what to do so he subconsciously redirected them somewhere else, although the second wave is considerably smaller than the first. For a while my parents were debating if it was ok for Natsuya to stay. He doesn't really have anywhere to return to seeing as he didn't remember despite our encouragement. In the end my parents decided to adopt him, giving him the family name 'Fuusei'. My mother didn't want Natsuya to continue magic. She herself underwent basic magic training once but gave up when she heard about the requirements of the path of a magician. Also Natsuya was already overage to continue the basic magic training so they decided to send to him the training school as well."

"… So nobody taught him magic when he was in your household? Not even your mother?" Hayate asked.

"I told you, Mother only finished basic magic training. Nobody could have taught Natsuya advanced magic," Hajime answered angrily. "Still want to recreate his situation? Throw every magic apprentice down a precipice, hope that they get amnesia through an injury and recruit them to the training school. Is that even legal?"

"It's not as if it's my choice to ask," Hayate shot back. "That aside there is something I want you to do as a brother: Watch out for him. There are people who will willingly seek out your brother for personal gains due to his fighting skills and magic abilities. Fuusei Natsuya is a nice person, he can tell right from wrong. But these people may not think so and force him to comply, usually by threat or by torture."

The last part made Hajime freeze. "Oh Arceus, Natsuya will never survive torture," he mumbled, feeling a little faint. "Send me to base camp."

"No. You stay here with the rest. It's going to look awkward if I only sent you there," Hayate objected. "He's not in danger. Yet. The people who will target your brother are either back at the castle or here with us."

He finished speaking just as a messenger ran over to them. Hajime recognized the gold emblem on the light blue shirt. It was a messenger sent from the spy network. "Commander Hayate," he said as he saluted. "I have word from our Almia group. There are outsiders in Chicole Village. I have a written message for the Generals too."

The messenger held out a folded piece of paper. Hayate took it and scanned it quickly. "Thank you, you may go," Hayate told the messenger. The messenger left as Hayate folded up the paper. "Give this to General Purple Eye," he told Hajime as he handed the paper to him. "I have to find someone."

Hayate took off across the field, leaving Hajime confused. He looked at the letter in his hand and decided to have a look.

_General ,_

_I hope this reaches you well. Regarding the job you gave me, I have indeed uncovered a few facts. The Revolution group is real. I suspect that one of the girls in the village had a hand with it. Regardless, I have acquired the names of some of them who are already in Chicole Village. Please pass them to Edward who might be able to dig deeper into their histories:_

_Tsukishiro Kazuki  
RatoyamaTalga  
Yugawa Sebun  
Oda Hitomi  
Shimizu Minami  
Kano Hinata_

_Regards,  
A._

_P.S : Ms Oda is of Chicole descent. Therefore she is highly likely the one who alerted the others . Shimizu Minami and Kano Hinata are both skilled magicians, the former in offense and the latter in defense._

The last three names stunned Hajime. The magicians that he respected, along with an important childhood friend were involved in something that threatens the kingdom. He folded the letter subconsciously and let his feet take him to somewhere. His mind was only rewinding the three names along with the word 'revolution'. His right foot hit something hard and the pain snapped him out of his daze. Looking at his surroundings, he had headed straight for the abode of the King and the Council that followed him. He stubbed his right foot on a peg of the tent. When the throbbing ceased somewhat, he limped towards the entrance. The guards that stood at the entrance was intimadating. So much that Hajime felt extremely apprehensive. He went up to the guards.

"I am Fuusei Hajime, rank five knight. Commander Hayate has a letter he wants to pass to General Purple Eye," Hajime announced, handing one of them the letter. The guard saw the seal of the spy network stamped in a corner of the paper and handed it back.

"Sir Purple Eye is in the first partition on the right," he told Hajime. Hajime bowed in appreciation and headed into the large tent.

Inside, was so huge that it could pass off as a portable castle. The tent was circular but divided into three large partitions. The middle one was guarded by two soldiers while the left and right by one soldier. Hajime walked to the partition on the right. According to protocol, he had to make that little speech all over again. But he had seen some castle staff experiment with Air magic to send voice messages between boxes. Chances are these soldiers are already using them

"Sir Purple Eye is waiting," the guard said as he let Hajime through. It affirmed his theory about wireless transmissions.

A man with purple hair save for a gray lock with purple clothes sat at a table at the far end of the partition entrance. He looked up to see Hajime standing at the 'doorway'.

"So you're the one with the letter," he said. Hajime bowed in respect and put the letter with both hands on the table. He stood by the table in silence. Knights and soldiers are not allowed to leave unless the General says so. Purple Eye picked up the letter and read it. He left the letter on the table. "What's your name, boy?" he asked.

"Fuusei Hajime," Hajime answered.

"I heard that both you and Seitou Dazzle originated from Chicole Village," he said smoothly. "Do you know of this, Oda Hitomi girl?"

Hajime nodded. "She is a childhood friend of ours," he answered.

Purple Eye looked back at the letter. "I heard of a young knight who was the topic of the troops lately. Known for both his magic skills and fighting abilities, top five in his training school as a matter of fact. Are you related to Fuusei Natsuya?"

"Indeed, he is my adopted younger brother," Hajime replied.

"I see. You may go now," Purple Eye dismissed. Hajime turned to leave but Purple Eye called out to him again. "Wait. Before you leave, do you know anything about the two magicians stated here: Shimizu Minami and Kano Hinata?"

Hajime hesitated. His words could easily mean the doom for any of them. "Shimizu and Kano are both magicians who operate a shop called Shimmer Magic in Aqua Town Square," he said. Purple Eye signalled that he can leave. He left the large tent with a bad feeling

* * *

Sebun looked at the large number of people in front of him with a watchful eye. These people were training up for the upcoming battle. Those who came from Oblivia were doing fine. His main concern was if the villagers who participated can hold it out till their next rest day. He gave a casual wave to Axe who attended the training session today. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Herb heading towards him.

"The rest of Talga's men will be here tomorrow," she informed him. "Hinata has gone to scout the village with Kazuki. Minami's still translating the Unown language for Guardians. Talga's on the communication line with Leila and Panema. Joe is still drawing up the formation plans."

"Thanks Herb. What of the weather predictions for the next few days?" he asked. Herb was another magician within their circle, one who wields the Air element.

Herb frowned. "It'll be storming for the next few days. Which is weird. I never seen such drastic change in the air before," she said. "After all, I don't recall anybody who possesses the power of Lugia, Rayquaza or Kyogre. Lugia is native only in Oblivia, Rayquaza and Kyogre both in Fiore. Even so Kira would have sensed their presence. A first-tier Guardian's presence is nearly impossible to conceal."

Sebun shrugged. "All this talk about Guardians, it's like a very big deal. But I don't understand it," he said. "I only know that Guardians are the main issue why Kira is stressing herself out. It's not the Cresselia Festival that's giving her problems. She usually lets the temple do the planning."

"_Having a Guardian is a big deal indeed. The extra power at your fingertips to inflict greater damage than the most advanced sword techniques._"

Sebun's mind processes came to a complete halt. He looked around him. The only person within hearing range was Herb who was looking at him strangely.

"Did you hear that?" Sebun asked Herb who shook her head.

"_Nobody else can hear me. Well except for the girl who wields the power of the North Wind._"

"Sebun, are you ok?" Herb asked anxiously. "You must be tired. Go get some rest. I'll get Talga to take over."

Sebun nodded numbly and headed back towards a tent he had pitched a couple of days prior to the current day. _Maybe Herb's right. I do need sleep if I'm hearing voices in my head, _he thought as he took off his large-brimmed hat and lay down on a sponge mat.

* * *

"Kira!" Leila called out. "Kira! Something awful has happened!"

Kira dashed out from a large alcove she was using as a study corner of sorts. "Leila? What happened?" she asked. The blue-haired woman looked frantic.

"The yellow teardrop shaped charm is missing. I could've sworn I saw it there in the glass casing when I arrived," Leila explained. "And when I went back to check again, it was gone!"

Kira was shocked. Never before had she heard of Guardian charms going missing. Before she could issue commands, her green feather glowed brightly. Kira went silent for a while. When the feather lost its luminence, Kira smiled just a bit.

"Was that Lady Cresselia?" Leila asked.

Kira nodded. "She says not to worry about it. Lord Raikou has found a compatible person. One worthy of a true warrior."

Leila let out a sigh of relief. "There are some out there. I do hope that person is with our cause."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sebun woke up, feeling stiff all over. He had been dreaming of shadows and lightning. And that disembodied just would not stop talking. It kept going on and on about the ruin of the world. He sat up, the world briefly spinning around him. Checking the position of the sun, he was asleep for about a couple of hours. He stood up, picking up his hat and dusting his pants and shirt from dirt that had gathered. A medium sized golden teardrop-shaped stone dropped to the ground. Sebun picked it up and turned it over. On the smooth surface was a mark shaped like lightning, but with a vertical line cutting it into half. A shadow moved outside the tent. Sebun paused all movement, and lunged through the tent flap.

A loud shriek and force of water hitting him forced him back in and on the ground. He lay there, stunned for a few moments before turning his head and looking at the brown-haired magician standing by the tent flap.

"What the... You should know better than any one that with Kazuki and Hinata at the village borders no Oblivian assassin is going to move in and kill you," Minami told him. "Not with Hinata's heat-seeking mines and Kazuki holding them at knife point."

Sebun got up. "That's what I thought. You're just the person I want to see," Sebun said as he handed her the golden stone. "I briefly remember seeing this in some box belonging to Kira. Although I really don't know how it got here."

"_You're asking the wielder of the North Wind the obvious,_" the disembodied voice said. Sebun glanced at Minami who probably looked just as bewildered as he did when it first spoke to him.

Minami handed the stone back to him. "Follow me," she told him and stepped out of the tent. Sebun followed her, his mind puzzled by the command. She headed for a forest by the field, went downhill through a narrow winding path. After walking for some time, she stopped at a beach.

"What..." Sebun started to say but Minami silenced him by placing a finger on her lips. She reached under her yellow muffler and pulled a necklace over her head. At the end of a bell made of clear glass. A quick movement made the bell chime, a clear sound that amplified. A ripple in the air beside her made Sebun's jaw drop. The ripple eventually gave way to colours of blue and white. A large quadruple creature stood beside Minami. It had a body of light blue patterned by white diamonds. A large hexagonal crystal-shaped crest grew from his forehead. Violet flowed from the back of its head like aurora borealis. Twin ribbons rippled by its sides from where a tail would start from, as if caught in the wind.

"Lord of the North Wind. Protector of Canal Ruins. Legendary Guardian of Aqua Town, Suicune," Sebun said in awe. His shock heightened when Minami laughed and hugged the large dog.

"See? That's why I never agreed to physical manifestations," he heard her tell Suicune.

The blue dog lay down on the sand. "_You Channelers are always hiding our existence from others,"_ it scoffed. Its red eyes looked pointedly at Sebun. "_And isn't it time you finally show yourself, Raikou?"_

The golden stone glowed briefly as a similar ripple in the air caught his eye. From it, a large golden cat with white undersides stood. Black stripes ran across its torso and the tail is light blue, jagged and tipped with a star-shaped formation. From its head, a purple cape flowed, resembling a thunder cloud. Its face is mostly white, black from the forehead to the top of the nose. Long fangs protruded from the light blue X-like moustache.

"Honour to meet you, Lord Raikou," Minami greeted the golden cat.

"_Honour to finally talk to you, Channeler of Suicune, Wielder of the North Wind,"_ Raikou said, its red eyes sweeping from the other resting Guardian to Sebun and Minami.

Minami turned to Sebun. "This is Lord Raikou, representation of the lightning that strikes during a storm. Also he," she said, gesturing to Raikou. "Is your Guardian."

* * *

**A/N:**

Name Legend:

Natsuya - Ben  
Hayate - Spenser  
Hajime - Kellyn  
Purple Eye - Purple Eyes  
Kazuki - Lunick. _Tsukishiro_ in literal translation is 'moon city' as both his names in Japanese and English are referrals to the moon.  
Talga - Rand. _Ratoyama_ is another shorter way to say Mount Latolato.  
Sebun - Sven. I couldn't think of anything so I just gave him _Yugawa_. From what I know it means 'exceptional falls'.  
Hitomi - Kate. _Oda_ is 'big field'. Partner Farm is a big enough field, it occupies two separate screens.  
Minami - Summer  
Hinata - Solana. _Kano _is a way to say 'fire plains' as both her names in Japanese and English are influenced by the sun.  
Dazzle - Keith  
Leila - Leanne  
Panema - Nema  
Kira - Kira  
Herb - Wendy. Honestly, my expression regarding her Japanese name was like 'What. Weird name'.

_Lord of the North Wind _is Suicune's referral to it being the embodiment of the North Wind. _Protector of Canal Ruins_ is due to Suicune's Litograph being found in Canal Ruins. _Guardian of Aqua Town_, I vaguely remember someone saying something along those lines in the game.

_Wielder of the North Wind_ refers to Minami who has Suicune, the embodiment of the North Wind as her Guardian.

_Channelers_ are people who use the powers of a Guardian, like Kira and Minami.

The golden stone with the mark, is the same symbol as the Litograph of Raikou in Rasp Cavern.

I killed my edits twice. First, I did a complete proofread and edit and finetune. And how does thank me? By logging me out halfway without me knowing it, causing all my hard work for the past hour to be completely deleted. I steamed for about 2 days before finally picking it up again. Saved twice until the name legend. Accidentally clicked Red X, causing my Firefox browser to close _**without saving changes**_. So this will be the last one till February.


	10. Sebun, Edward

**A/N**: I do not own Pokemon Rangers.

I said I was gonna update this soon but... CNY this year was a hell lot rowdier so I didn't get the time I expected. Instead was friendly gambling with my cousins. The start will seem shaky, crappy, whatever it will be called but that's usually the aftereffects if I don't write after a long time.

* * *

Sebun looked dumbfounded. "My… Guardian…?" he asked. "But I'm no magician! If anyone deserves to get a Guardian it should be Hinata."

"_This is the part where I detest the most_," Raikou shook its head. "_You don't need to be a magician to qualify to be a Channeler__, despite what legends may say_."

"But… Why?" Sebun asked the large cat. "I… I'm not sure if I can handle being a Channeler."

Minami groaned from her spot by Suicune. Leaning against the Guardian, she asked, "I wonder if all non-magicians are like this." Suicune's red eyes looked at Sebun for a while.

"_It differs. Those who are learned in legends will be more of awe. Others like him, will be more stunned than the rest_," Suicune answered. "_At the very least you took the liberty to read up on Guardians while you could_." He watched Raikou explain to Sebun thoroughly why he had chosen him. "_I can't say I'm impressed. I expected Hat Guy over there to earn the approval of Regice. Not Raikou_."

"Personally I didn't even expect Sebun's determination to give him the chance to be a Channeler," Minami commented. "And as for me, it was not a choice I can avoid. But hey, you don't see me complaining about being a Channeler."

"_That's because when you first got the Crystal Bell __at 13 __you spent much of the time freaking out whenever I sent a thought string out to you_," Suicune said as he shook his head. "_Eventually you got used to it and even started talking back to me__.__ And we started the whole 'I say one thing, you answer with a witty remark' thing after that. No wonder you became the woman you are now: sharp, sarcastic, brooding and cynical_." Minami jabbed Suicune's side hard with her elbow. "_See? Point proven_."

Minami huffed and looked at the sun setting over the ocean. "Five years with you at the back of my mind, your very symbol hanging from my neck, yeah. It was weird wasn't it? That day my teacher gave me the black box and told me, 'One day, you will be the Channeler for the Guardian that looks over this town'. The next day he went missing and never returned. I opened the box and found the Crystal Bell with the sign of Suicune on it. Remember what happened next?"

"_Of course. I sensed the magic in you and asked for your name. You started freaking out and demanding me to show myself. When I said it's impossible to, what did you do? Mutter to yourself 'I need to cut down on the drugs'_," he told her. There was an awkward silence after that although one could see Sebun nodding and asking about some of Raikou's explanations. "_Come to think of it, were you on drugs back then_?"

"Anti-depressants and sleeping pills, not really counted. Those were doctor's prescriptions," Minami reminded Suicune. "I ran to the magician next door and demanded to know what's going on. She taught me about Guardians and their legends. That's how I know I was to guard the Crystal Bell and call upon your powers whenever crisis falls. And I'll continue that till I pass on to my student. Heh, good times. The line might die with me though, I'll have you know that now. There's no saying what may happen when we finally confront Euron."

"_You have so little faith in me, I'm hurt_," Suicune said in a faux sad voice. "_I won't let you die just like that. __ I'm sure the other one won't either. __S__o__meone has to protect the town__ after all. You're the only magician from Aqua Town remaining after the magician campaign a few years back when Shinbara was coerced to work for Euron and other magicians are to be 'dealt with' ._"

They stopped chatting when Raikou walked over to them with Sebun. "Finally accepted your Channeler status?" Minami asked.

"Lord Raikou explained everything to me. My inner desire to restore Oblivia to what it was before and will do anything to do so. Of course I won't resort to abuse and usage of threats like what happened to Shinbara. That's Euron's area, not mine. I will be stronger to save my fellow people," Sebun declared, the golden light of the sun reflecting a determined glimmer in his eyes.

Minami blinked. "Wow. I don't think I ever made such a passionate speech about patriotism when I first came into the Channeler job. Anyway, welcome to the club. I'll be at your training thing every day. Be warned though, I can be demanding."

"_Yes I think it's best you prepare yourself, Yugawa Sebun. Minami has insanely high standards to expect from you_," Suicune nodded. "_It's getting dark soon. I'm sure it's been an insanely long day with us already into the first week since Euron arrived in Almia. We need to keep up our spirits to defend this village_."

Minami nodded in agreement. She held up the bell. "Agreed whole-heartedly. We should head back to the village," she said. Suicune's form rippled and instead of vanishing into air, small orbs of light stayed around before rushing into the bell. Raikou left in a similar fashion, only heading towards the clouds in the sky instead of into the charm.

She took off first into the woods. Sebun ran after her. "Wait, then what was that place?" he asked as he jogged to keep up.

"Partner Farm's beach extension. It's quite a distance from the village, although considered village property, it's right at the village borders," Minami answered. "Plus nobody from the village wanders that far. I found it when I came back from Nabiki Beach."

They reached the edges of the field that the majority of the tents that housed the people from Aqua Town were located in. The sky was already a dark blue when they reached the edges of a large campfire someone had built. Sebun sat down and immediately started up a conversation with some of those sitting around the campfire. Minami took a seat some distance from Sebun as she looked at the fire. She felt immensely bored now that night had fallen. There was nothing to really do at night. Sure, fire and light spells came in handy but there was always the chance of being found and captured when a magician is alone. She heard that story plenty of times and had no intention of it happening to her.

"There you are, Minami," came Hinata's voice behind her. Minami turned around. Hinata was glaring down at her. "Where. Were. You?"

"Around the village," Minami answered. It was the truth. The beach was at the village borders.

Hinata crossed her arms. "Then kindly tell my why my Tracer wasn't working earlier when I was looking for you," she demanded.

Shock flashed through Minami's brown eyes. "A Tracer? You know how much I hate being Traced," Minami reminded angrily.

"A necessary precaution that I have to take," Hinata answered with desperation. "We're being spied on! I can't afford to lose anybody right now! You've been a good friend and are practically a younger sister to me. I don't want to imagine what happened if you were caught by the Oblivian army!"

Hinata's outburst cause Minami to freeze. "What…," she asked but Hinata held up a hand to stop her.

"Someone told the King along with evidence of some sort that the Revolution is real. The King has gotten wind of it and he's heading here straightaway," Hinata explained. The light of the fire caused unshed tears in her eyes to glimmer. "And if Kira is right, he will demand an ultimatum: let the village hand us over and he won't attack or he will join the attacking line personally. You remember what Kira said about Euron?"

"I hope for us to never encounter the King while our forces are still so weak. But nevertheless, in such a case, defend the targeted town to its fullest. Accept no surrender," Minami repeated. "But… It's not our village. Hitomi has the last say in everything."

"I know. While you were gone I called the villagers together," Hitomi said, walking in from behind Hinata. "I've never seen so much diversified opinions at once. Half wanted to surrender you over to the army while the other half said that no way the Revolution will be responsible for the peace of Chicole and want to protect this land with their own power. Even now, the villagers are still arguing. I hope Mr Axe can do something about it. I heard that he's the person here who can convince the villagers to compromise." She sighed. "I just hope they decide quickly."

"And they will," a loud voice boomed beside them. Minami jumped in shock, and assumed a defensive stance. Hinata and Hitomi followed suit but relaxed visibly when they saw that it was just Axe. "I have managed to get the villagers to reach an agreement. We will continue the training and take on the army when they arrive."

Hitomi fell in deep thought for a moment. "If that's what they say. I'll head over to inform Sebun now. Mr Axe, can you come with me to explain the situation?" She headed off towards the large bonfire with Axe where the said person was laughing at some joke someone cracked.

Minami shrugged. "That settles that. We should rest for the night soon." She turned to Hinata. "How's the search going?"

"I can't pinpoint one of them anywhere in particular except the tomb of ice," Hinata answered. Then she looked accusingly at Minami. "Well it could gone faster if someone was just around."

"I'm sorry!" Minami quickly apologized. "I went to find Sebun and found the sign of Raikou with him. Of course someone has to do the honours."

Hinata's face went from anger to shock in an instant. "Sebun? Raikou? You're joking," she pointed out. Her shock increased further when Minami shook her head. "That's absurd. Sebun's a warrior, not a magician."

"Sir Raikou said that the requirements for Channelers was flawed. For one, a Channeler doesn't necessarily be a magician," Minami corrected Hinata. "We should really get some sleep. We should rest up while we can so that we can prepare ourselves for the incoming army."

Hinata agreed wordlessly. Hitomi came running back. "Come one guys, we have to wake up early tomorrow if we want to get anything done," she said. "I was away at the village square all day. So what happened while I was gone?"

"While you were gone huh…," Hinata started to say. "Well, I managed to isolate the general location of the golem of ice…"

* * *

"Fuusei Natsuya, wake up."

Natsuya rolled over to his side, ignoring the voice calling him. The last few days of training were insane. He deserved this rest.

"Wake up!"

The command was louder now. He scrunched up his face and felt for his pillow which he pulled over his exposed ear. Finally, some peace.

"Fuusei Natsuya, wake up right NOW!"

A pair of hands was shaking him now. He opted to shrug them off and remained still.

"Very well. Rain, heed my call and descend from the skies. _Pluvia_!"

WAIT! That voice! Blue Eye! His eyes snapped open instantly. "_Rifiuto_!" he quickly said as his hand shot out towards the ceiling. Light spilled forth from an orb in the center and spread outwards. A reflective surface flashed whenever a water droplet made contact with it. Blue Eye looked at the shield in satisfaction for a while before she willed the spell to end. The reflective surface shattered when Natsuya could see that the rain receded. "Do not do that again!"

"Why not?" Blue Eye said, her blue eyes dancing with amusement. "You were able to execute the reflection spell perfectly when you failed to maintain it after five seconds of light drizzle yesterday. I should do that more often. Maybe you can master defense faster this way. Now get up and get ready. Now that you mastered reflection, we have covered all the defense points. It's time for the real offense."

Natsuya looked at her incredulously. "That powered up Thunderbolt isn't enough for you?" he asked.

Blue Eye shook her head. "The magician is probably going to have an abundance of speed spells at her disposal. She's not going to stand there while you struggle to remember how to summon a Thunderbolt. She's going to know you're summoning one and she will take the chance to strike you down first. Therefore you need to have the knowledge on how to counter her movement and stall her before using the ultimate strategy that I shall teach you today. Don't forget to bring along your sword as you'll be learning a new fighting style that I came up with."

Natsuya groaned as he sat up. "Do I get a rest only when I'm dead? I've been at your training programme for the past week! I can't possibly train all 7 days until the King arrives."

"Oh quit whining," Blue Eye chastised. "I did consider that. Also, I'll tell you something cool: Fuusei Hajime will be here by next week."

Natsuya's head snapped up immediately. "Hajime? But… Why? Isn't it too soon? I mean, it's been only a week."

Blue Eye shrugged. "How would I know? That's what the message from Hayate says anyway. I'll be waiting at the usual place once you're done." She left the tent after that.

Natsuya sighed and stood up. Might as well change and head out. After changing into his uniform, he took his sword from a weapon stand near the door and headed out. Someone jumped on him from the back.

"Well if it isn't our local prodigy, the untouchable Fuusei Natsuya," a familiar voice said before Natsuya could make any protest. "How's your training progressing?"

Natsuya rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here, Seitou?" he asked, pushing Dazzle's arms off him. "Shouldn't you be doing big bad senior things instead of camping with the juniors?"

Dazzle smirked. "I was sent there by Hayate. Since Red Eye isn't here to coach you, Hayate figured that I am up to task to train you."

"But Blue Eye…" Natsuya started to say but was cut off by Dazzle.

"Blue Eye already knows. In fact we're both teaching you today. How else would she decide to impart her ultimate energy blade technique?" Dazzle pointed out. "Come on, let's go get something to eat. I came here all the way from Angel Village on foot and I'm starving."

* * *

Edward rescanned the letter that Purple Eye had sent him. The King had told him to stay behind in Oblivia, claiming that at his age, his body would not allow him to take the excitement. Also with his side job as a doctor, somebody had to see to the health of the people in the castle. He flipped through the book searching for that elusive name. Books marked with the archives of Tsukishiro Kazuki, Ratoyama Talga, Yugawa Sebun and Oda Hitomi on a table beside him. He found Kano Hinata contained in the book that he was currently holding. Now all it left was Shimizu Minami. Strange though. That name tickled the very edge of his mind. He took down the first book he saw in the 'Shi' category. Browsing through the book, he did not find the name. According to Purple Eye who questioned the knight who brought in the letter, the girl runs a magic shop with another magician. The only magicians who should be in the main town are only people from other regions, especially after the campaign a couple of years back. He was onto the third book of emigrants from Almia and still no results.

There were only five volumes of foreigner archives in the library. _Ironic_, he thought as he scanned through the pages. _We are lacking in technology and yet we have a whole department dedicated to keeping tabs on the citizens_. He had already gone through them all and still no sign of Shimizu Minami. The girl could not be an illegal immigrant. If she was able to get approval to start a partnership shop with Kano Hinata that means her record existed somewhere. He really wished at least one capable magician was left behind to help him find the archive. The only accomplished magician in the castle was some fresh graduate who was in charge of managing the younger apprentices. The next archives were the locals only. Within minutes he found the archive he was looking for. But still he picked up his Transceiver. He was really glad one of his top spies managed to invent this before the King announced his next target. It was a small box that transmit voices via magic waves through the air, which can only be accomplished by specialists of Air. A few more copies were made and tested but it was only the first run of the Transceiver in the actual world. Purple Eye had communicated with him earlier with the box. Turning the dial on the box to Purple Eye's name, he pressed the button and waited for Purple Eye to respond.

"Yes Edward?" Purple Eye drawled out from his side. "I have a briefing to attend to."

Edward chuckled. "Patience, young General. I finally located the records of the entire list of people you sent me. Albeit some difficulty. But that is not the reason I contacted you for."

Purple Eye hummed a little. "Really? What is it then?"

"Shimizu Minami. The magician girl who initiated an attack on the junior knights, I heard. She is not an emigrant, but from Aqua Town itself. In other words, this girl has lived in Oblivia all her life."

"Fascinating," Purple Eye said sarcastically. "What of it?"

"The magician campaign a couple of years back. Do you remember it?" Edward hinted.

There was silence on Purple Eye's side. "What else did you find out from her records?" he asked.

"Interesting you should ask," Edward answered, reading through the archive a second time. "There was no information recorded in the archive since she was ten."

* * *

**Name Legend:**

Sebun – Sven  
Minami – Summer  
Hinata – Solana  
Euron – Ellois  
Hitomi – Kate  
Axe – Arley  
Natsuya – Ben  
Blue Eye – Blue Eyes  
Hajime – Kellyn  
Dazzle – Keith  
Red Eye – Red Eyes  
Purple Eye – Purple Eyes

Next chapter will be slightly different. I want to develop Sebun's character further so the next chapter will be about him. Also I found out that this story will take an _insanely_ long time to complete. Especially if my plotbunny keeps _breeding_!


	11. The Other Side: Sebun

**A/N:** Easier to write, harder to describe. Because all these while I've been thinking with Minami, Natsuya and occasionally Hajime, but never Sebun. Sebun is... someone that I don't really know. Other than how he's like in the game, that's it. It's quite hard to flesh him out without blatantly stating outright he's this and that. Oh well. I hope I portrayed Herb properly too. Other than a workaholic she is as shown in the game. I think there are some errors that I haven't fully ironed out x.x Spelling, grammar, or even different alternative names (i.e Thunder, I wrote as Electric).

* * *

My name is Sebun. I used to be among the elite in a training school in Almia. No, not for knights. It's just a facility that teaches the art of fighting. It's called a _dojo_, originated from Johto, Enju City. After that I was introduced to some Union and hired as a secret agent for special missions. When I say special, it means special. Because it actually puts your life on the line _literally_ for the job to be done. When Almia was being liberated by Oblivia, I was sent to do reconnaissance in the far wintry North for information. What I saw there, I will never forget.

The King used an unknown power to call forth something Oblivia refers to as 'judgement'. A large meteor fell from the sky and the entire village was dust in a matter of seconds. I saw people running away from the now abandoned Hia Valley. Some of them are still around, in a rebuilt cluster of homes called Hia Town, in the North. When Pueltown succumbed to Oblivia, I knew that Angel Village was next. The then-mayor of Almia's leading town in energy research signed a pact with Oblivia. In exchange for no casualties of any kind, Angel Village will become Oblivia's property and be obligated to exchange research information with the royal research department. With Angel Village gone, it was only a matter of time before the Union fell victim and was ordered to cease all operations.

With the Union no longer able to operate, I headed for the next best place: Oblivia. Something _had_ to be funding the King's 'trips' to Almia and Fiore. It was in Aqua Town, the main capital of Oblivia that I met Kira. I arrived when the Fullmoon Festival was in full swing. We bumped into each other and her hairclip started glowing for no apparent reason. My first reaction was 'Wow, either this girl is a magician or someone invented portable electricity'. Kira was neither. She is an oracle, one who uses the power of Cresselia and the star of the Fullmoon Festival.

She pulled me to one side after her hairclip stopped glowing and asked for my name and origins. I told her both. Kira then told me the story behind Fullmoon Festival and introduced me to Guardians. Mystical beings revered as Gods. But the true God among them was a Guardian called Arceus. Legends spoke of a man once controlling Arceus and brought about ruin of the world. Other Guardians fought together against the man and freed Arceus from his control. Arceus called upon a judgement for him and with the other Guardians, sealed away Arceus's Guardian Charm. This was the fascinating story I heard from Kira and also the history of how the term 'judgement' came about. She asked me why I came to Oblivia. I replied her with my predicament. She brought me to Herb, an Air magician who works in a facility that operates in a similar way as the Union had. After that Kira was called away for the summoning of Cresselia. Herb was a friendly woman who explained to me the job scope and to turn up at a specific location the next day if I was interested. Which I was.

I waited for Herb at the foot of Mount Sorberlas the next day. She took me to one of her higher ups. Given my history with the Union, I was hired in no time. Not long after, I met Kira again when she came to visit Herb. She asked how I was faring. I told her about the missions I have taken so far. Herb took us to Aqua Town for lunch. On the way there Kira asked me, "How would you like to turn this region into a better place?"

I was stunned. I only met Kira for a couple of times and she asked me such a serious question. "Well, I would want to do something about it, if I can," I answered. "But now isn't such a good time, with Euron going after every populated area in the region."

"Euron is using an external force, something that very few people have," Kira shrugged.

I briefly remembered my reconnaissance mission and told Kira and Herb about it. They looked at each other and nodded in agreement. "Then it is not a question anymore," Kira told us, "That Euron's successes are all due to a Guardian."

It was then I swore that I will get back at Euron for liberating much of Almia which caused me and many others' lives to be disrupted. Kira had laughed. "Your attitude reminded me of a girl I met not too long ago," she told me. I was brought to the secret meeting place of the Revolution at the end of the week. The girl that Kira referred to was a very young magician called Minami. Back then, she could not have been past fifteen years old. Yet her eyes told of a dark past that she wanted to cover and yet avenge at the same time. Personally I don't remember her being anything other than angry, deadpan and serious until the arrival of Hinata much much later that year. To my surprise, Herb was also there and chatting casually to some of the people there.

Minami was someone who revolves around perfection. Which brings me back to the current situation. I was thrown off balance, yet again by an uncontrolled lightning bolt. That girl had the guts to laugh as I got back on my feet and dusted the dust off my pants. Suicune was behind her smiling as much as a dog could smile and Raikou behind me. We were in another field Hitomi's family owned. She was trying to teach me how to channel Raikou's Thunderbolt and having little progress.

"Ok, you can stop now, brat," I said sternly. "I'm new at all this."

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. "Yes it will really stop overpowering if you stop thinking that this and magic are related," she said, the insane grin still on her face.

"Well, kindly tell me how to not automatically group them together since half the stunts you magicians do are about the same," I answered in exasperation. "You magicians can make water bombard a field, call down lightning, make plants grow and so on."

"The lightning part is actually a Guardian's power. The rest are what we magicians are capable of," she corrected me. "First, Guardians' powers differ from us magicians in a way that we magicians use our own energy to synchronize with our magic abilities within and call forth spells. Channelers on the other hand, synchronize with the Guardian to manifest the Guardian's power. Magicians are also incapable of certain… 'stunts' as you call it, that Guardians are able to do. For example the lightning part. One of Raikou's powers is to execute a lightning that strikes wherever you want to. A Thunder specialist can stun enemies, inject high voltages into them, generate enough positive and negative ions to create lightning but Raikou's lightning doesn't require the ions part. You get what I mean?"

I think my stunned expression got to her. She sighed. "Either way, you have to stop thinking Guardians and magic are related. It is not. I believe that's what blocking your synchronization with Raikou. Let's try this. You think to yourself, "The power of Raikou flows through me" and something about 'For Almia' or something. Ok?"

I nodded, not sure how this was going to work out. Besides that was the dumbest thing I heard for a while. I live by mottos, not repeating them nonstop. Raikou disappeared into the stone that I was holding. Hitomi had fashioned it into something like a bracelet, the threads woven to secure the stone and hide the Litograph sign from the world. I was amazed someone like Hitomi had the skill to weave an intricate pattern on the bracelet. She struck me as the tomboyish kind from the first impression a couple of years back.

I closed my eyes and focused on Raikou. _Relax Sebun_, he told me through our mental bond. _You have to keep your mind clear. Feel the power flowing through you_. I did just that. I let go of everything, keeping my mind clear. I felt the rush of energy from the stone. It was quick and sped through my veins like wildfire. Except it isn't fire of course. "_Alright, raise your right hand_," Raikou instructed me. I followed the instruction. Immediately I felt energy gathering there. _Open your eyes, and aim for something_, Raikou told me.

I opened my eyes. In front of me was a stump leftover when a tree was felled. I pointed to the stump. Almost instantly a thunderbolt dropped from the sky and fried the stump to crisp. My eyes widened. _No way_, I thought. _Did I just do that?_

Raikou rematerialized beside me. _Congratulations_, he told me. _Now just redo what you just did and you will be fine when Euron gets here. That is, assuming we know the Guardian he's using_. Behind me, Minami applauded. I gave a hesitant smile back. Because I wasn't sure if I could do that again. Well sure, if I can do it once I can do it a second time. But… It is hard not to automatically lump magic and Guardians together. I blame the legends for this one. The ones that said only magicians qualify to be Channelers. Hah, I'm a Channeler too. Recorded legends, zero. Sebun, one.

"Great! Then we can start on Wild Charge and Electrical Discharge tomorrow," Minami suggested happily.

"_Raikou doesn't learn Wild Charge, Minami_," Suicune told her. "_I don't think Thunder even knows it. Where on Earth did you find that move from anyway?_"

Minami looked shocked. "No? The one that says the user covers itself in electricity and charges at the foe? It was in some book describing attack movements known by Guardians."

Suicune frowned. "_I think you were referring to Volt Tackle. Known by a few genetically enhanced mice from an illegal experiment to duplicate moves of Guardians into common animals a few decades back. They eventually died off though. Some of their descendents seem to be able to give off faint sparks when threatened. Still Raikou cannot learn Volt Tackle. I don't know how the scientists who did that manage to get the mice to do that, thought that Thunder Guardians know that move. Wild Charge is… Something like Volt Tackle. But for our region, no. There are no Guardians who are able to pull off Wild Charge. Your book is unreliable._"

I stifled a laugh. Minami is the only other Channeler I've met who also doesn't treat her Guardian like some being who deserved to be spoken to in flowery formal language. It's kind of entertaining to watch sometimes. "I could've sworn it said Wild Charge," she argued. "Oh what_ever_. Only Raikou knows what moves it can execute through Channelers right?"

Raikou walked over to them. "_I would suggest that Sebun continue to practice Thunderbolt until he can use it with ease. Otherwise other moves will serve to hinder instead of help_," it said.

"Then that's settled," Minami agreed. "Suicune and I will test out Ice attacks. Meanwhile you guys continue to try and use Thunderbolt. We'll see you later. Come on, Suicune." They left to their side of the field while I stayed there.

"Oh… Kay…," I finally said. I turned to face Raikou. "So we're seriously going offensive against Euron although we have no idea what Guardian he's using."

"_Suicune and I are what you call, third tier Guardians. Three of us, Suicune, Entei and I are required in order to summon Lugia. Similarly, we are the ones who are able to quell Lugia's rage if he goes into any. Which I personally have never seen because Lugia tends to keep to himself in the ocean. Three third tier Guardians in a single group are required to be present to summon our respective second tier Guardian. For us it's Lugia. Freezer, Thunder and Fire are also third tier Guardians to call Ho-Oh. A fourth tier exist, solely for three pixie Guardians who can summon Dialga, Palkia and Giratina. Guardians who do not belong to any tier exist as well, such as Sheimi, Manaphy, Celebi and Jirachi among others. We all have a common leader, the Guardian God Arceus. Arceus has the power to summon any Guardian from any tier without a trio present. But since Euron began his pillages, we haven't heard much from Arceus himself. We only know Euron is using a Guardian for his empire and everybody is searching for their suitable Channelers to combine powers together to stop Euron, and find out the identity of the Guardian_," Raikou explained.

I kept quiet for a while to let all this sink in. "In that case, according to legends, magicians are able to Channel Guardians. But you said anybody could be a Channeler. Why were magicians mentioned and not non-magicians?" I asked.

Raikou shrugged as he lay down on the grass. "_In the past, magicians were preferred due to their inner ability to naturally draw out a Guardian's power. But now, we do not just need magicians for power. We need warriors to counter the weaknesses of magicians to get a balanced team to stop Euron_."

I sat down on the grass as well, tilting my head to the sky. My hat provided shade from the sun, but the weather was cool. Wind was blowing gently which caused the taller grass to ripple. I never saw anything like that in Oblivia, except on Drop Island. "Euron can call upon a judgement on anyone. Somehow I'm not surprised," I muttered, frowning. Something was wrong here. It's like, I should know what's going on. "Hang on. Were you around during the legend when the evil man controlled Arceus to bring about the ruin of the world?"

"_I was around since Arceus created the world. It's kind of obvious isn't it_?" Raikou pointed out. "_Why_?"

I thought for a while. "I saw Euron call on a judgement for one of the towns in the North when I was on a mission, back in Almia, nearly four years ago," I told Raikou. "And according to the legend, Arceus is the only one capable of using the Judgement. Also you haven't been hearing from Arceus. You said every Guardian are looking for their Channelers to stop Euron who uses an unknown but powerful Guardian. But what is Arceus's Guardian Charm?"

"_The Kabuto Armor. A full-body suit of armor made of gold. Only the Kabuto Armor has the ability to control Arceus_," Raikou answered. We paused for a while. "_You don't say…_"

I nodded. "I'm saying. But in any case we need to go back to Oblivia first and find out from Leila about the whereabouts of the Kabuto Armour. If it's missing from its supposed seal, we can safely assume that Euron has the Kabuto Armor."

Raikou's red eyes bore into me for a few seconds. "_If Euron does turn out to be in possession of the Kabuto Armor, we cannot afford to stall anymore. We must hasten to seek out the Channelers that the Guardians have chosen and recruit them to stop Euron. Arceus… will not be stopped with just a couple of third tier Guardians. Even with Cresselia on our side. Also one thing you must know. Arceus has the ability to force Guardians to synchronize with people. So as long as there are people who wish to seek power, Euron can call on any Guardian and forcefully turn these people into Channelers. We must be prepared to expect more Guardians to obstruct us, not just Arceus_."

I quickly leapt to my feet. "Alright. Let's just perfect the damn thunderbolt thing and head to the next move," I told Raikou.

"… _Is that it? Just dropping thunderbolts as and when you like_?" he asked. He raised his head and jerked towards Suicune and Minami. "_Take a look at the wielder of the North Wind. Observe carefully_."

I did as told. Minami and Suicune were really into it. Somehow she managed to move a tree into the middle of her field, put some protection spell on it and fired attacks one after another. The tree, surprisingly, was also attacking her… Wait. I squinted. The tree was freaking _moving_. My eyes grew insanely large. Branches were specifically aiming for her and brought down where she was standing previously. If she hadn't moved, the force of the branch would have injured her. Also leaves were periodically thrown at when she was in the air. She dodged incoming branches and kept moving, occasionally firing ice shards at the branches. Then she stopped and jumped back. Seems like she's going to finish it off. A sharp glint caught my eye. The Crystal Bell's smooth surface reflected the sunlight shone with a light blue aura.

"Blizzard!" I heard her call distinctly. She stood still, arms outstretched by her side, her whole body giving off a light blue aura. Dark clouds gathered instantly and a strong chilling wind blew. I held on to my hat and watched as snow; _real _snow, swirled around the tree. Ice crystals formed around the tree which quickly grew in size and encased the tree in a solid block of ice. The blizzard died down as her posture relaxed. The clouds went away and the sun was shining down again. The ice sparkled in the sun, like the ice crystals when I was sent to Mount Sorberlas to scout the area.

"… Wow…" I said to myself. It was no understatement to say I'm impressed. Talga and I had taught Minami how to stay alert and keep moving when around animated objects. She had improved quite a bit although not as good as the warriors that we trained.

"_That is her fighting style, one of the few she uses on the field_," Raikou pointed out. Then he looked at me. "_What's yours_?"

Fighting style. Of course I have my own. But I have to come up with my own and combine it with Raikou's electrical attacks which can give me the upper hand. "Alright, let's do this," I told the large cat.

* * *

The sun was almost gone before I decided to call it a day. I did manage to come up with a successful style but it was only because Minami saw what I was trying to attempt and decided to help me out a little. Raikou seemed pretty pleased with my progress. Miss Perfectionist, surprisingly let me off without much of a hassle and just told me to tell Hinata she would be late. I ran back to the camping site and into my tent to light up the lamps for visibility as well as to get the supplies to take a refreshing bath after all that insane practice. Before I could step out, Kazuki came barging in.

"Hey Sebun!" he greeted cheerily and sat down on one of the chairs scattered around. I raised an eyebrow. Kazuki usually doesn't find me unless there was nothing short of a catastrophe. He sighed and his expression changed to a serious one instantly. "… The King just reached Pueltown."

See what I mean about catastrophe? "Pueltown?" I exclaimed. "But wasn't he in Hia Town before?"

Kazuki shook his head. "More like, in between Hia Town and Angel Village," he explained. "He then decided to do a complete U-turn and head back to Angel Village. And Angel Village is just north of Pueltown."

I cursed Almia's small geography. Hey, I may be dedicated to my homeland but sometimes… Being small isn't such a good thing. At least Oblivia had tons of seawater to separate each island and Fiore's huge landmasses and maze-line routes can stall for time. In Almia, everything was a short and straight route. "How many days do we have left?" I asked.

Someone else answered for Kazuki. That someone also strolled into the tent like she owned the place. "I would give five days maximum," she said.

"Hey there Hinata," I greeted. "Such a refreshing change of pace from the mood-swinging, somewhat rash young man over here." I was, of course, referring to Kazuki. The mood-swinging part was the earlier happy to serious part. Rash was referring to his mental state of mind whenever anyone flirted with Hinata. Some habits are hard to kick. Indeed, I could almost see a faint red aura around Kazuki. One of the abilities of Raikou: ability to sense auras and discern what they are feeling. Something which I'm still getting the hang of. Honestly, a slightly dumb ability but it was useful for knowing when to not provoke him further. An angry Kazuki isn't nice to be around. I pushed my luck numerous times in the past but today isn't really a good time.

"Sebun, this is serious," she answered back in a tone that implied she was holding back from all-out screaming at my casualness. As usual. Hinata is someone who will be serious when the time calls to be serious. I don't think anybody managed to crack a smile from her when she was in that mode. "Euron will be here soon. Minami isn't enough just for distraction. You also need to be the frontal offense. … How far have you progressed?"

I tilted my head to the left. Hinata didn't even crack at my little humor attempt. Her aura is one of blue, mixed with a little red, purple and a few other colours. _Anxiety, anger, nervousness… Primary signs_, Raikou told me mentally. I sighed and took off my hat. "Well, I sort of came up with a style to incorporate thunder into attacks but… I'm not sure if it will work among the Oblivian army."

Hinata nodded. "That's good enough. I didn't expect more," she said softly. "So what are your plans about your own troops?"

"I plan to let them train under Talga. Then hold a mock sparring match about three days later. Or two days before they arrive," I shrugged. "Unless Shinbara confirms the timing quickly, I can't guarantee anything at all."

She nodded. "Ok. I'll try to contact Tsubasa if she has any information from Shinbara," she said and turned around to leave.

"Hinata, wait," I called out to her. She tensed and looked back She's certainly uptight about this. If it were any other people at risk, Hinata would be all gung-ho and ready to give a hand but when it concerns her close friends, in this case Minami and Hitomi, stress is clearly evident on her face. "Minami said she'll be late," I told her. She finally cracked a small smile, one of relief and left.

I turned to Kazuki who was still lounging on my chair. "Go calm down your girlfriend," I said as I shooed him out. "She's way too pressured to think right now."

As expected, Kazuki's face flushed red. "W… WH-WHAT?" he sputtered. "She's not my girlfriend!"

"Riiiiiiiight. Unconvincing but I need you OUT now," I said as I rolled my eyes, physically pushing him out. He tripped a little as I added more force than necessary after he passed through the tent flap. Not his girlfriend my ass. Anybody could see that there was something going on. Picking up the bath supplies, I headed out to a remote part of of a beach where I knew no one would bother going. Except Minami. I'm kind of looking forward to the day when someone cracked her cool and stoic mask. Huh, it does sound like something impossible. Come to think of it, she's the person whose background I am the least aware of. Kazuki and Hinata, both of them I know. They both came from Fiore, from the same town. After it was razed to the ground by Euron with a Judgement, they went on their separate ways. Hinata sought apprenticeship under some guru in the far North of Fiore while Kazuki trained with Joe's friend who was still around at that time. Arceus knows where he disappeared to.

Speaking of Arceus, it was very unnerving to think that Euron might possibly be wielding the power of the God among Guardians. Me, I merely am channeling a Third tier Guardian. Arceus is a God class Guardian. It would require ALL Guardians. When I say all, I mean **all **Guardians. From the three lake pixies who only Giratina knows where to find, to the three weather Guardians to the three birds who are supposedly tasked to guard the Kabuto Armor to the dragon trio capable of summoning God itself. Why can't this world just turn back time where everything was normal?

* * *

The next morning followed the same procedure. Minami would come to wake me up, usually with a spell so that my reflexes would kick in, or if she's busy she will send someone else. Personally I preferred it when someone else woke me up. Because I don't have to dodge sudden jets of water, raining fire, trapped in an electrical cage, lifted up by vines and other little spells that Hitomi referred to as 'pranks'. Hinata also confirmed the rough timing that Euron's troops would arrive, which was to be lengthened to a week due to Euron not being able to visit Hia Town personally and sending messengers and some general there while planning with whatever Council members he brought along and plan how to defeat us in the least number of moves.

Two days later, I was able to easily strike down any target I see. Although my accuracy left a bit more to be desired…

"Would you watch _where_ you're aiming next time?" Herb demanded after the third time I came close to striking her. She, as an Air specialist, is exceptionally weak to Thunder. Since I didn't want to constantly bother Minami as I knew that she needed her own time to perfect her Ice strategy, I asked Herb to help me animate objects to train. Hinata was a healer while Herb was an all-rounder. She works as a network manager plus she's capable of carrying out her own missions. Who else could I ask anyway? Kira was stingy about sending magicians this time.

I sighed. "Sorry. I'm not a magician, therefore—" she cut me off before I could continue. And Herb… She's a lot more explosive than Minami when angered. Luckily she isn't easy to rile up. I'm just unlucky today.

"If you would STOP using the 'I'm not a magician' excuse, you'll find yourself able to hit accurately," she shot. "Besides you don't have a shred of magical energy in you. Every attack you use is powered by Raikou. It's not your synchronization, it's your way of thinking." She went on and on while I rolled my eyes and deactivated the electricity flowing through my sword. Herb can rant for hours, from past experience. The blade's bright golden glow faded quickly. Raikou projected its head in astral form to me.

"_Is she always like this_?" he asked.

I nodded. "Ever since I knew her," I answered. I evidently wasn't paying attention as I watched Herb rant on. Apparently I was daydreaming about nothing when she suddenly rapped my head lightly. "What?" I asked in irritation.

"I said if you want to try again," she repeated, holding herself back from another rant. I shrugged and got up. She took it as a yes. I reactivated the electricity through my sword. The blade glowed bright gold and crackled. "Let's go for something different," she said. She eyed the small rocks that she was using before. She pointed at them and beckoned them over. The rocks flew over and hovered around her. It was a sign to get ready. I bent my knees and leaned forward a little, readying the blade. Previously she sent one rock after another in different directions. I swatted them away easily and carved long marks on them. This time Herb was using them for something else.

Indeed, the rocks flew over all _at the same time_ and spun in circles around me. Needless to say, I was stunned. Usually opponents don't use this strategy because it makes the runners themselves dizzy. I tried randomly hitting them. I missed a lot and successfully struck a few down but in no time it was back up and running circles around me. Herb shouted a hint to me, "Hit them all at the same time!"

"… How?" I replied back.

"You have a head, Sebun. Don't think just one way to deal with them. Think of how to deal with all of them," Herb answered back.

That was all she's going to say. Damn. Raikou projected himself out again. "_Your sword can only deal with one rock at a time. However my attacks can deal with many at a time. But now, I want you to use that sword of yours to cast lightning_," he told me. That was all he's going to say to me as well. Talk about unhelpful people.

I held up my blade to eye level. The crackles lashed out at the rocks that came too near the blade. That gave me an idea. I raised the sword and pointed it at the sky and let loose all the electricity in the blade. Like an electric fountain, the lightning shot out and rained down on the rocks, each one hitting a rock perfectly and effectively stopping them all from moving. When the lightning stopped flashing, the rocks dropped to the ground like dead weights. I lowered the sword and stared at the rocks for a while.

Herb walked over. "If that were any living humans, the amount of electrical charge would have just killed them on the spot," she mused. "We don't kill. We will never bring ourselves as low as Euron to kill for no reason. You still have two more days to brush up on that move though."

Two more days. One more day to perfect my fighting style. One day to spar with Minami. Two days to train my own troops. Five days left to Euron's arrival. Although I shouldn't be that concerned but... I have a bad feeling about this.

And usually, my gut instincts are on the mark.

* * *

**Name Legend:**

Sebun – Sven  
Kira – Kira  
Herb – Wendy. Hell yeah, she's a secret agent 8D  
Euron – Ellois  
Minami – Summer  
Hinata – Solana  
Hitomi – Kate  
Kazuki – Lunick

Freezer - Articuno  
Thunder - Zapdos  
Fire - Moltres  
Sheimi - Shaymin

Enju City – Ecruteak  
Angel Village - Altru

The Union is basically The Ranger Union. The other facility in Oblivia is like a Ranger base, only bigger.

Wild Charge, Electrical Discharge, Volt Tackle – Thunder moves. The mice are an AU version of the Pikachu family.


	12. Battle: Chicole

**A/N:** Ok, I admit I quite a bit of writer's block for the starting. So the starting ain't as hot as it's supposed to be. Second, my laptop charger fizzed and died when I was writing around the 1000 word mark. I had to go about a week without a laptop and another week without using my updated file. Third, I had to revamp the battle scene and add more filler otherwise the whole thing would end up in another cliffhanger. Also first time I'm giving Barrow and Joe so much screentime XD I completely forgot about Barrow until I went back to a previous chapter for reference. I didn't know what kind of job to give Joe either. But anyway, I finally uploaded this with... over 7k++ words in the raw form.

* * *

Hajime stared into space blankly from his post at the entrance of the camp. It was early in the morning and already he could vaguely see smoke from the direction of the village. Most of the troops had set off at ungodly hours. It was like a bad dream that he was having problems waking up from.

"Penny for your thoughts," a familiar voice piped up beside him. Hajime turned his head to see Dazzle smiling at him. But it was a strained one. Dazzle was just acting fine.

"What are _you_ so happy about?" he asked in monotone. "Why are we out here in the first place?"

Dazzle shrugged. "Not like we had any authority or a valid reason to do so in the first place. But yeah. Some part of me… wants Chicole Village to stay intact. That's nearly impossible."

Hajime lowered his gaze. "I… I just want everybody I know to make it out alive. Natsuya, Hitomi, Hinata… Especially Hitomi."

Dazzle patted his back reassuringly. "Natsuya will be fine. Blue Eye taught him a few new tricks. He can stand on his own against the magician girl everyone was talking about."

"You don't know Minami," Hajime answered while shaking his head. "She isn't any other magician. Her archived records stopped when she was ten. It took some time to link her to people she knew. Her magic arts teacher isn't just any magician dude."

"It's _just_ a magician!" Dazzle pointed out in exasperation. "Warriors are a magician's weakness."

Hajime smirked. "Well yes that's usually the case. Unless you're up against the apprentices of Gindaki Iwakabe." He was mildly amused by Dazzle's horrified expression.

"No way! That girl is Gindaki's apprentice?" The renowned Wielder of the North Wind years ago?" he exclaimed. "Arceus, Hajime. Why weren't you made a scribe? Your research skills are godlike."

Hajime nodded. "I wonder… Could be the theory assignments back in training school," he joked. "But indeed, she trained under Gindaki until his disappearance which only people from the castle know why. His second apprentice went missing during the King's siege. So we can assume Minami has inherited his title. You're familiar with the legends of Guardians I hope." Dazzle nodded. "Aqua Town is said to be guarded by a Guardian who will protect it during times of crisis. For some reason, Suicune was not present to ward off Oblivia's soldiers back then. Suicune was the embodiment of the North Wind, and Gindaki was Suicune's Channeler, one of the few recorded for the past hundreds of years."

"Channeler…," Dazzle repeated. "A person who possesses the ability to channel a Guardian's power. That magician is one?"

"Assuming Gindaki passed on his legacy, then yes we can assume Minami is a Channeler," Hajime pointed out.

Dazzle smiled and shook his head. "They really should make you a scribe instead," he commented.

* * *

**Hours ago…**

Sebun fiddled with the bracelet. The stone sparkled by the light of the fire. He sighed.

"It's disheartening to see a squad leader being all unsure and hesitating you know," Herb said beside him. The sun would be rising soon. No doubt, not many people would be able to sleep fitfully. As such a few people milled around the campfires, talking to friends or sharpening weapons. He could see Kazuki among them. Mentally he frowned. If Kazuki was awake at this hour, Hinata would also be awake. It was worrying. Hinata's healing spells often tire her out quickly.

"It's even more disheartening that you're telling me this and my head is prepared to leave my body the moment the sun rises," he answered, twirling the bracelet between his fingers.

Herb scoffed. "That's what you always say," she pointed out. "Let's see… Almia Boyleland protection. You survived. Fiore Summerland, you survived too. Oblivia Naname Village, you survived that. Nurie Highlands, you survived that too."

"All those times the King wasn't there, plus you or Minami or whoever Kira dispatched took care of the troops for the first time. Subsequently they could not hold fort for long and fell. Naname Village fell, because of too little magicians to counter to influx of magicians the Royal Army had. Boyleland, a certain someone couldn't take the heat because of her specialization. Summerland is still being fought over time and again. Nurie Highlands, someone invented the smoke bomb. Nobody could see a thing and caused the people's morale and plan to backfire," Sebun tried to explain but failing because the main point was that, he survived all those times Kira sent him to protect other towns.

Herb shook her head in defeat but suddenly sat up straight, eyes alert. She stood up abruptly. "_Mill Oculus_," she said as she looked at the ground. A circular window appeared on the ground, and showed what seemed like an endless parade of Oblivian soldiers. "They're coming," she told Sebun.

"What?" Sebun scrambled up to look at the window too. "Where is this located?"

"Near Vientown," Herb answered. "That's dirty. Coming for us in the dark before the sunrise. Get your people to assemble now. I'll see you at the main door of the village gate."

Sebun did not need a second warning. He nodded and dashed off towards the campfire. He quite literally ran into Joe on the way there. "Get the troops, the Oblivian soldiers are coming," he told Joe. "Assemble at the village gate. Herb will be there."

"No need," Herb said loudly as she caught up with Sebun. "I just sent an air message to Hinata. She will inform the rest. Meanwhile just up the patrols for the gate."

Both Sebun and Joe nodded. "I'll call Kazuki to assist me," Joe said. "Sebun?"

"I'll be fine on my own," Sebun assured him. Joe raised an eyebrow before glancing briefly at the bracelet and running off to find Kazuki. Sebun turned to Herb. "What of Minami and Hitomi? They were sent to scout the beach perimeters."

"Minami would know," Herb answered. "She has a spy." A flash of light blue caught Sebun's eye at the edge of his peripheral. He groaned mentally.

"You mean she let loose a large dog on the loose to spy for her?" he asked while rolling his eyes and completely missing Herb's surprised expression.

"What dog? I'm talking about the guy in light blue. Minami managed to net him to keep a lookout on things," Herb replied. "Sebun… Are you seriously okay? I can always ask Talga to take over for you."

Sebun shook his head silently. Raikou chose that time to keep quiet but Sebun could clearly sense his mirth from their mental link. _There's something you're not telling me are you?_ He told the thunder cat mentally as he walked away from Herb.

"_That's for you to find out soon_," Raikou said lightly and retreated to wherever he was. "_Don't you have somewhere you need to be_?"

Sebun frowned. _I am going there_, he told Raikou mentally, his pace increasing as he broke into a run towards the village gate

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hitomi kicked a small stone into the sea. "There's nothing here," she complained. "It's dark, and no sane soldier would think about ambushing anybody here without light." Small orbs of light floated her way. They barely cast a visible glow but the small number of them reassured Hitomi. She saw Minami sitting on a rock, hand outstretched to direct the light puffs her way. "Thanks, Minami."

"No problem," said the older girl. "Whoever made us walk this stretch of sand is pure evil. That I agree with you."

Hitomi glared at the sea before picking up another small stone and flinging it into the sea. "We've been here for the past two hours. Please tell me it's time to go," she pleaded. Her hopes plummeted when she saw Minami shaking her head. She resumed her previous action of kicking random stones around.

Minami was silently observing the surroundings. She took a big risk by granting Hitomi's wish for light. Past experience told her that light would direct the enemy to them instead, being the only light puffs on the entire beach. "_Doing a good job of making sure Hitomi doesn't throw anything random I see_," a familiar voice said behind her. Minami rolled her eyes. The same voice that had been taunting her for the past few years.

"Are you here to mock me for inactivity or are you actually here to tell me something?" she asked, turning back to see a young man behind her, dressed completely in light blue with a few white and purple designs. Other people would have shrugged it off as a flamboyantly dressed pierrot of some kind but Minami knew better. The colours and designs were based on Suicune's body. The Guardian deliberately scared her with this form a couple of years back. Minami then realized the new meaning of awkward. Guardians have the ability to copy their Channelers' bodies and change forms accordingly. Except Suicune chose to keep copy of the gender of his previous Channeler, saying that males were easier to copy instead of females. Minami criticized the Guardian on being biased before Suicune reminded that Guardians do indeed have genders, just that nobody bothered to check and confirm. So far Suicune has not attempted to fully copy himself to a Minami clone. The Channeler had a feeling she would personally seal him away forever if he ever attempted. He only copied her age but kept his general image to somewhat a combination of past Channelers. Short violet hair intensely layered, a copy of the Channeler before her teacher according to a picture that she had seen. A formal light blue blazer with white diamonds patterned on the sides of the blazer, coupled of with light blue pants of the same shade. White shoes peeked out beneath the pants. The clothes somewhat resembled Minaki, another Channeler from long time ago. The lack of cape like Minaki was due to Minami's teacher dislike for flamboyant accessories. Gindaki was never a fan of anything other than what was necessary. Which is why a simple white belt was holding up the pants, with two long white extensions that vaguely resembled the white tails of Suicune.

The red eyes of the young man scanned the area around him. "_Well it looks like all is clear. For the moment_," he answered.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious genius," Minami answered in a deadpan voice. "As if we didn't know this place is near unoccupied. Heat seeking mines haven't exploded yet."

Hitomi looked at Minami strangely. She was obviously talking to someone, but it was too dark too see who. The light puffs managed to outline the shape of a person behind her though. She walked closer, the light puffs illuminating her path. "Who are you talking to?" Hitomi asked.

Minami bit back a laugh. "Meet my new spy agent, Swee," she said, gesturing to the young man in blue behind her. "He's a top notch stealth tracker. But a bit of a pain when it comes to understanding certain orders."

"Spy agent? I do nothing of the sort," he disagreed. "All I do is keep tabs on people you want me to keep tabs on. Oblivian royals not included. Since you tagged me as so, I shall not inform you of the new occurrence that happened."

That got the desired reaction. Hitomi sighed mentally as Minami demanded answers from Swee. Nothing new. She was about to turn away when she heard a loud crack. Judging by the sudden silence Minami and Swee heard it too. Suddenly there was a flash of light and Minami jumped into action.

"_Rifiuto!_" she shouted, reflecting the light orb back. "_Nerezza_!" The light puffs vanished immediately, stranding them all in darkness once more. Hitomi felt Minami pull her down to crouch. Vaguely she noted that Swee was gone.

"What was that?" Hitomi whispered to Minami as they both moved as quietly as possible under the cover of the sparse rocks and shrubs.

"Oblivian magicians," Minami answered back in the same volume. "The heat seeking mines haven't gone crazy. They must be levitating in the air. They're here already, the Oblivian forces. I can't use teleporting spells, the light will give us away."

Hitomi paused. So far there were no other sounds to be heard. "So now what?"

"We have to fly. No other choice. We'll be at a disadvantage here, outnumbered and overpowered. We'll have to join back with Sebun and Talga," Minami told her. "Hold my hand, and whatever happens, don't make a sound and don't let go." Hitomi's grip around her wrist felt like an iron shackle too small to properly fit. "_Ventus Ferre_," she mumbled. Adding extra power to the spell, she felt both Hitomi and herself being lifted from the ground. She hesitated to use the follow-up spell. She just learned it recently and it could be a big giveaway. But when desperate times calls for desperate measures…

"_Alis Argenteis_!" she called out. Shadowy silver wings unfolded from her back. It shimmered under the moonlight and glowed a little. Since they were in the air, no one would know unless they look up. The wings tapered to from the edge to her shoulder blades, the ends partitioned into three visible sections. With a powerful flap, both girls shot forward towards the lights that glittered in the village. In merely seconds, they reached the village gate where the expanse of land in front of Chicole is being lit. Minami flew to a lower altitude before expelling the wings. Hitomi broke away immediately upon landing and both reached Talga who was directing people from the village.

"Talga!" Hitomi shouted. "What's going on?"

"They arrived early. We barely had a couple hours warning," Talga answered her. "Hitomi, stay at the back. Minami, front. Herb is already there getting the soldiers to stay back. They haven't issued the knights yet. Go deal some damage before the elite force comes in."

Minami nodded and ran to the front while Hitomi went off on her own to find a suitable weapon to defend herself. Everything will be decided on this battleground.

* * *

Somehow the raging fire that spread across the field caused panic in Natsuya's mind. He watched the fire in fear and unconsciously stepped back. A roommate of his eyed him with concern. "Hey, you ok?" he asked Natsuya.

Natsuya closed his eyes and took a huge breath. It helped… Somewhat. "Fire just… gets on my nerves," he answered.

"Stay back while Blue Eye deals with it then," the other knight replied helpfully.

"… Maybe," Natsuya muttered as he resumed watching the faraway battlefield. It resembled a lot like his dream, except in bright daylight instead of the dark. To his extreme surprise, a large tidal wave appeared out of nowhere and swamped the field. Effectively vanquishing the fire and probably half the troops there were down as well.

Yarai stood up in front of the troops on standby. "Okay people. We have the go-ahead to move," he shouted. The knights around him immediately shifted their posture and listened. "Squad 1 will go in first, then 2. We'll move in by this way. Clear?"

"YES SIR," all the knights chorused. The lines were formed neatly as they marched out to the open field. Natsuya bit his lower lip in nervousness. It was not his first battle, but still the first one out in the actual field. He had nothing to be afraid of, he knows that his skills are definitely up to par with most of the top graduates, in addition to his already widespread ability to wield magic, but still a swarm of butterflies upset his stomach. Was it because of that girl? He forced his mind to focus on the upcoming battle. The next time he see Minami, he will be asking her a few questions.

The chaos came even before they reached the actual battleground. Soldiers were already backing off from yet another wildfire as it formed a sort of barrier around them. "It's a trap!" Blue Eye warned from behind. "Do not go near the fire!" Natsuya drew out his sword and charged straight into the heart of the battle.

Blades swung in from all angles, but his reflexes were fast enough to dodge the potentially fatal ones. He managed to block a few hits that were out to decapitate him as he quickly made his way to the front. Blue Eye had taught him a wide-area spell a couple of days before, in cases that the battle seemed to be stalling. It was one of the times to use it. He headed to the front and charged his sword with the power of darkness. As he was about to strike into the ground, something red and white knocked him back.

"Not so fast, newbie," a man with a hat said as he pointed his own sword at Natsuya. Said weapon was also crackling with energy. Natsuya recognized it as a Thunder attribute. Well, damn. He was trained to take on Minami, not this newcomer wielding Thunder! "I've heard of you, kid. You're that special knight who cannot be struck down by magic because you can use both. You have to go through me before I let you cast a single spell."

No sooner than he finished the little introduction speech that he launched himself at Natsuya. He held out his sword for defense as both metals clashed loudly. He gritted his teeth as he felt the electricity travel through his sword and into his body. Anymore and he would be paralyzed. He pushed off the other man and jumped back. Charging up his sword, he brought his weapon down at the other man who blocked immediately and sent Natsuya stumbling.

"I got this!" Blue Eye shouted as she ran past Natsuya. "_Erdbeben_!" She knelt down the ground and planted both hands on the sodden dirt. The ground heaved and thrashed around as if it were nothing but a rough brown sea. The man lost his balance and fell on the ground. Blue Eye sent a towering column of dirt that would potentially crush him.

"_Lucht Bladen_!" a female's voice called out. Silver blades moved swiftly and diced the brown column into pieces. A woman with green hair stood behind the man, moving her hand quickly as if she were slicing the air. More silver blades appeared and headed straight for Blue Eye.

"_Rifiuto_!" Blue Eye said as she summoned the reflective barrier. The silver blades crashed into the barrier and rebounded back to the green-haired magician. She dismissed them easily as they neared her. Blue Eye narrowed her eyes as she got up from the ground. There was another magician from the opposing side.

"You ok, Sebun?" she heard her ask the man with the hat. "I'll deal with her. You might not survive."

The man, addressed as Sebun shook his head. "She caught me off-guard Herb. It won't happen again," he answered as he turned back to face Blue Eye. Natsuya stood beside Blue Eye.

"Two against one ain't fair," he said. "If you have the guts bring it on." He finished just as Blue Eye summoned another spell and sent a tornado of swirling leaves towards them. Before Herb could counter, someone dropped in from above in front of them.

"_Mur Léger_!" the newcomer called as the tornado crashed into the gleaming wall of light. The leaves burst apart as they were dispersed and both sides could identify the newcomer.

"So you have appeared, Channeler," Blue Eye said. "A little late, aren't you?"

The girl with the yellow scarf glared at her. "I don't believe I need to answer to you my daily schedule," she scoffed, her hand returning by her side. "Perhaps you do need a reminder. _Arcus Trabes_!"

A shot of pure light in rainbow colours headed for Blue Eye who stepped aside at the last second. Her face was straight as she heard an explosion and someone behind shriek in pain. "I'll take care of this one, Minami," Herb told the younger girl. "You go for the other one." Herb and Sebun ran past her and engaged a battle immediately with Blue Eye, leaving her to deal with Natsuya. He assumed in offensive stance as he looked at her in the eye. Strangely, she just stood there and stared back.

"Too scared to move, magician?" he taunted, trying to get a reaction.

To his extreme surprise, her answer is not what he expected. "I… don't want to fight you," she answered. "Anyone… but you."

Natsuya was taken aback. Why him of all people? He sighed. "In any other case, I would agree to a truce. But this is a battlefield." He readied his sword, dark energy crackling ominously. "You fight, or you die!" He charged towards the girl and swung his sword down. As expected she dodged and backed off. He attacked again but she avoided that too.

"_Primavera Erba_!" she shouted as she did a sharp turn to face him. A large thick wall of plants stopped him in his tracks. The girl was turning to a strategic escape. "_Flamethrower_!" he cried out pointing his sword at the green wall. It caught fire and burnt out quickly to allow him directly through the wall. Minami was further ahead. She saw him catch up quickly and changed tactics. "_Blizzard_!" she called. Natsuya stopped dead on his tracks. Is she serious, calling a _blizzard_? Blue Eye said it was a wide range spell, easily affecting opponents and allies alike.

"_Brieten Hut_," he heard someone say behind him. It was an Oblivian magician whose name slipped his mind. Regardless it was a short middle-aged man dressed eccentrically like a typical circus magician. "I got it rookie. Go get her." Natsuya nodded his thanks and dashed out into the dying blizzard. She was further now. Damn.

"_Aeris Impetum_!" he called. A nifty wind spell Blue Eye taught him as their third lesson. A little trick to catch up to your opponent. The wind sent him flying and landed just in front of Minami. "Dead end," he smirked, pointing the sharp end of his sword at her.

"Illusion," she suddenly said. Multiple copies of her surrounded him in an instant and circled around him, making him dizzy. Plan B, Dazzle's focus trick. Her plan seemed to be running, and there were multiple copies around him. However there will only be one set of footsteps while the rest was echoed. He closed his eyes and focused. It took him a while, but he was able to identify the true set of running footsteps. Opening his eyes quickly, he slashed the front just as the footsteps neared the center in front. A shriek told him that he found his target. The copies disappeared and only one person stood in front of him, clutching her arm near the shoulder that that dripping dark red liquid. "Got you now," Natsuya said as he charged towards Minami. A loud crashing sound rang out as his sword collided with something solid. She conjured some kind of sharp dagger, encasing her hand on her good arm in solid steel-like ice. But even though she managed to block his attack, with her other arm crippled there was not much she could do to hold on. She was falling back as he exerted more force onto his sword. "_Látigo Espina_," she called. A thick thorny vine lashed out at his legs, causing him to lose balance. Minami easily threw off the sword and got back on her feet.

Soon it became apparent she was not doing much but avoiding his attacks. "What are you doing?" Natsuya demanded as he sliced the air just in front of Minami again. "Do you want to die?"

Her brown eyes, once clouded with fear was now taken over by empty blue. "I will not die," she said. Her voice was strange. It was like as if two voices were speaking at once. "You will be crushed soon, knight. _Naminori_!" A tidal wave, similar to what he saw earlier now towered over him. Instead he pointed his sword at the tidal wave. "_Petalorum Ruunt_!" he called. A stream of black petals flew over to the wave with incredible speed and cut through the wave cleanly. In no time the tidal wave broke apart and crashed harmlessly over the forest.

"Big mistake~" Minami said in a singsong voice as she appeared beside him and delivered a clean punch to his shoulder. Natsuya staggered back from the power behind the punch. A Force-based spell. Damn, she had a whole lot of tricks up her sleeve. It was as if she did not give a care to her injured arm at all. The wound was still open and openly dribbling blood. He backed off a considerable distance. His next spell is going to need it. He knelt on the ground, the same as how Blue Eye did earlier. "Electroweb," he muttered. A bright golden web appeared beneath his before vanishing again. Now for the bait. He did not move from the position, causing the magician to smirk scarily.

"Did that little trick bring you down to your knees already, Knight?" she asked as she walked over, still in that two-voiced mode. "You're never going to last in any battle like this you know."

Natsuya's eyes flashed in anger. "Think again, magician," he answered angrily before mentally calling up the golden web. It materialized at the feet of the magician who stopped in her tracks. "What the—" she started to say but electricity surged through her. Shrieking in pain, she collapsed in the large web. It was now or never. The web was not going to trap her forever so he had better make use of this chance. Despite the electricity being discharged she was still fully conscious, her previously blue eyes now shifted back to brown. It reflected her mood which was plain angry. Very very mad.

"You can't kill me, you won't be able to land a hit," she said as Natsuya came near. "Your mind won't allow you to."

"Shut up, I can bury this sword through your heart in an instant," he countered. "Don't forget you're the one being trapped here."

That had the desired effect. She kept quiet while he forced his arm to move. Strange, how hard is it to severely injure someone? The mannequins back in training school were built the same way as an average human, spine, bone, flesh and all. Except blood. He knew the amount of force required to pierce a human body thoroughly.

"Don't you remember?" she asked out of the blue. Natsuya froze. Remember what? For as long as he recalled, he had been living with Hajime ever since he woke up. But before that…. Before that… His head started to hurt terribly. He winced, the pain starting to interfere with his vision. Bright lights danced around the edges of his peripheral. "Your heart won't let you kill someone you used to know!" she continued to say.

Someone he used to know…? Did he know her before? Before he became part of Hajime's family? He just wanted the pain to stop, even if it did means permanently making Minami silent. "I said… SHUT UP!" he roared at Minami as he swung his sword up, ready to move.

"Reiki Natsuya!" she screamed back at him. His sword clattered to the ground, his eyes wide as he registered her words.

"How did you… What…. Who are you?" he demanded. The web suddenly sparked. It was going to fade out soon. When it fades the magician will be able to move again. But the headache… It felt worse than before. He closed his eyes in an effort to make sense of everything. A sudden 'thud' resonated loudly and he opened his eyes in surprised. The girl was out cold on the ground.

"You're lucky I spotted you faltering," Yuuki told him. "She's alive, don't worry. I just hit her with your sword handle. If I knew you were going to have trouble with this girl I would've assigned you a partner or something."

Natsuya was speechless. "I… Uh… Thank you Commander," he said. His sword was tossed at him. He caught it expertly at the handle.

"Good. Now carry her back," he told Natsuya. He got a blank look in return. "Hey, we do need information right? Your other friend managed to snag a normal fighter. This magician here would be more valuable than the other. So get moving. I'll see you back later, I have to go help others." Natsuya nodded numbly. It was kind of weird that this magician who everyone feared was easily taken out by a simple combination. _I guess she still has weaknesses to warriors after all_, he mused as he attempted to shift the body around. _But what did she say before the crazy headache intensified?_ Another soldier had spotted him stumbling with the additional weight and offered to carry the girl back to camp. Natsuya agreed and the soldier relieved him of his load and headed into the woods with the younger knight trailing behind. _I suppose… there will be a time for answers later_.

* * *

It was dark when the battle finally ceased. A good portion of the village borders were burnt badly and would take heavy repairs to restore the burnt buildings and fences. Hinata, worn out from healing the warriors finally stumbled into Hitomi's house.

"Hey," she greeted the other girl who merely nodded silently in acknowledgement. "Where are the rest?"

"Herb is with Sebun and Talga," Hitomi answered in a deadpan voice. "Kazuki and Joe are checking up on the rest of the forces. I haven't seen nor heard a peep from Axe since yesterday. Panema is due in later to deploy some communications lines."

A large stocky man walked in after Hitomi stopped speaking. "Hinata. Hitomi," he greeted but turned to Hitomi instead. "I did as you asked."

Hinata sat on the ground as she watched Barrow and Hitomi speaking quietly. Hitomi's gestures got more and more frantic while Barrow attempted to calm her down. "Like I said, there is no trace!" Barrow finally said loudly to emphasize his point. Hitomi attempted to glare at the taller man but was visibly failing badly. Barrow patted her on the shoulder. "We have to assume the worse," he told her gently. "You forget that this is a battlefield. You earn some, you lose some. She'll be fine. Besides didn't you say you had a very good friend from the knights? Wherever he is, I'm pretty sure he would make sure she'll be alright, just for you."

Hinata raised an eyebrow. Just what was going on here? Hitomi looked at Hinata, her eyes indicated she wanted to say something but decided against it and ran upstairs instead. "Ok, just what is going on?" Hinata demanded from the other unfortunate person in the room. "I want answers, and I want them now."

Barrow scratched his head and looked in another direction. "It's… not a good idea to tell you yet, Hinata," Barrow answered her. "You need to rest. I promise I will keep you updated tomorrow. It's been a crazy day for everybody and we all need a break from it. Sebun and Talga called for a meeting tomorrow. You will have to turn up too. I'll see you there." Barrow quickly left before Hinata could fire questions. The blue-haired girl groaned. She _was_ tired, which was true. She supposed it would do her some good to rest up for tomorrow. Her steps were slow as she climbed the stairs to the room she shared with Hitomi. The other girl was currently missing, probably looking for someone else. She took a quick bath and changed into clean clothes before dropping on the makeshift mattress on the floor. She vaguely noted that both her roommates were gone before falling asleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Barrow was among the first to arrive in Sebun's temporary tent when the sun rose. He scrutinized his fellow comrades. Sebun and Talga were looking battered but not as bad as Herb who was instructing a small girl with blue hair and glasses working on a box of some kind. Hitomi was asleep on the long chair Herb had probably set out for her.

"You guys are looking lively," he commented dryly. "So how's damages?"

"Repairs could take some time, we're cooperating with the villagers to build temporary shelters and relocating the affected families until the burnt houses are restored," Herb answered tiredly. "If we could call Ho-Oh's power to restore everything how great would that be. It would speed up building and relocation faster to focus on strengthening the village fortress."

Talga looked up from some papers he was reading. "Our casualties are small. About ten people dead, twenty others severely injured, among them at least nine in intensive care. Roughly about seventy others wounded and treated by Hinata last night. Seven are missing."

Barrow raised an eyebrow at the numbers. "Only seven?" he asked. "I thought more than that would be missing."

"True. But Minami being among the seven people, it's… not a good sign," Talga pointed out. "She's been in this shortly after Kira formed the revolution. She knows half the operations, the people and other whatnot."

"Minami won't tell," the small girl piped up. "She's not as weak as to break under a little pressure. She will find a way to escape, eventually."

Talga turned to his daughter in exasperation. "Panema, it's no small matter. The place is crawling with guards. Also imagine the amount of anti-magic they would be using on the prison cells."

"Daddy, Minami won't be fazed by something as small as anti-magic," Panema pointed out. "You do have so little faith in people." She shook her head and went back to fixing the circuitry within the box. "Besides Channelers are way more resistant."

Herb frowned. "That reminds me. Yesterday a blonde woman in white and blue said 'You have appeared, Channeler' to Minami after she blocked the Leaf Storm spell. Last time I checked, Minami never carried any Guardian Charms except the Silver Wing. Kira gave it to her to find Channelers from Oblivia as she's constantly in contact with the townspeople in Aqua Town."

"She said she didn't want to tell you guys," Sebun answered. "Her Guardian, is also another problematic one."

Barrow turned to Sebun with eyebrows raised. "And what's yours?" he asked. "I saw your sword crackling with electricity yesterday. You are no magician and yet you were able to pull off such a stunt."

"He's a Channeler," Herb answered while grinning. "Right Sebun?"

The other man glared at her but was unable to make a sound. "Fine," he conceded. He pulled off a bracelet that Barrow noticed he had taken to wearing lately. He pulled out a golden stone with some kind of lightning bolt in the middle. "I found this shortly after I woke up from a nap. And a crazy voice in my head wouldn't shut up about the apocalypse. Then Minami came in and said I was chosen to be the Channeler for Raikou, the embodiment of the lightning of disasters. She took it upon herself to teach me basics of abilities I can use and Herb helped me to train using Raikou's electrical attacks."

Panema had long abandoned her communications box and examined the stone that Sebun had passed her during the little explanation. "Why wouldn't Minami train you herself?" she asked as she handed the stone back. "Wouldn't she be a better candidate since she is also a Channeler?"

"Minami is weak to Thunder," Herb replied. "So am I. But Minami also has to brush up on her speed while I'm only the backup. So I took over and gave Minami the time to train."

Talga frowned at Panema. "So how long have you known that she's a Channeler?" he asked. Panema noted the 'Tell me!' tone in the question.

"Uhm… Ever since I caught her talking to her Guardian?" she answered, laughing nervously. "Besides Mom knew it too. Minami requested us not to tell Kira. She said something to do with Suicune being—Oops…" She let slip the name of Minami's Guardian before gasping in horror and clapping both hands to her mouth. "Okay. Nobody heard that," she said unconvincingly and went back to rewiring the circuit board she was working on.

There was awkward silence for a while before Herb spoke up. "Huh… I guess that mystery man in blue and white constantly seen around our base is accounted for then," she mused. "That must be Suicune who is bored and wanting to roam around."

"What about Suicune?" someone else asked. Everybody turned to Hinata who just appeared. She looked tired, but the glint in her eyes was sharp. "Someone said something about Suicune?"

"We were just talking about Channelers, Hinata," Herb told her. "Find a chair and sit down. But before that wake Hitomi up. We've gone way off topic with the talk about Channelers and it's time to really add up the losses." Sebun and Talga were heard faintly mumbling 'damn numbers' and 'the whole army should just die' among other inaudible ones as they turned back to the pile of papers they were flipping through before that.

Panema screwed the lid of the box she was working on shut. "Alright I'm done," she announced as she held up a black box. "Shinbara has sent me blueprints for what the castle people dubbed as 'walkie talkies'. They use Air magic to send waves of communication to connect to another box to communicate with the person holding another talkie. However, as Air magic waves come in different frequencies, certain groups of people were given talkies that tune in to only a certain wave frequency. In other words, they were not allowed to tune in to other frequencies that the Council may use to communicate to their personal spy networks. We can use the same way to communicate, and not have to rely on tampered parchments with limited space or phone calls that might get tapped or birds that may be caught. The downside is, people who know the frequency can also tune in and listen to the conversation. That's why we have Herb here to change the frequencies ever so often to prevent tapping on the talkies. In events that Herb is away on her real job, we have Herb's assistant slash student to do it for us."

Barrow nodded. "So who will be given these… talkies as you call it?" he asked. He saw Hitomi sitting up, still looking extremely dazed.

"Kira will decide that. It will probably be on a 'use as needed' basis. For example, she sends two more magicians here and she needs to talk to Hitomi. She will send a talkie to Hitomi via the new arrivals. Or let's say she needs Sebun and Herb to infiltrate Almia Castle and need to be updated constantly. Two talkies will be given to them for the mission and returned after that," Panema answered.

Sebun gathered the up the mess of papers and shuffled them into a neat pile. "Confirming that ten dead, nine in IC, the rest ordered to stay in the medical wing, seven missing and estimated eighty treated by healers last night," he said. "Among the missing are three magicians and four warriors. All ten dead are villagers, not our people."

"What about Minami?" was the first thing Hitomi asked.

The entire room kept silent. Hinata glanced from one person to another and settled on Barrow. Her eyes narrowed in anger. "Barrow, you said you would keep me updated," she hissed. "What's this about Minami?"

Nobody dared to say anything, not even Panema who went back to studying in the blueprints in deep detail. Talga took a deep breath and looked down at his own set of papers. "We've been putting off announcing this, but it can't be helped. Minami is among the three magicians missing. We have no idea where she is, or where the other six are," he said.

"What… That's not possible," Hinata said. "I refuse to believe it! Minami isn't someone who gets caught so easily! It's IMPOSSIBLE!"

"We understand how you feel, Hinata," Herb started to say but was cut off by Hinata's icy glare.

"She's not gone, she's just camping somewhere right?" she asked. "Minami's a Channeler, there's no way she would be caught so easily."

Someone chose to walk in at that very moment. The tense atmosphere let up a little. Joe dropped a set of papers on the table that Sebun and Talga were seated around. "Perhaps you forgot about Minami's motive for joining the revolution in the first place, Hinata," he answered. "She wanted to avenge her friend who was missing since the siege on Aqua Town. But only a few weeks ago, she came to you saying her friend is alive. We had our rumours of a knight who knows both magic is swordsmanship. Perhaps Herb remembered her opponent at the battlefield?"

Herb nodded. "It was a young knight who was about to use a field spell of some kind. Sebun stopped him though. Then a blonde woman came and took us on while Minami went to fight him."

Joe nodded. "_That_ is exactly the problem," he said, pointing down to the papers he just dropped. "Fuusei Natsuya, 18. Adopted by the Fuusei family at age 10, no memories of his life prior adoption. Graduated from the Naname Training School only earlier this year. Is the picture the same as the young man who tried using the field spell, Sebun?"

Sebun nodded. "It was a darkness spell too," Herb added in. "His control is remarkable for a knight."

Joe said nothing but turned the first paper over. Behind was another profile, although of a much younger boy the resemblance to the previous page was startling. "Reiki Natsuya, missing since age 10. Apprentice and assistant to Gindaki Iwakabe along with fellow apprentice Shimizu Minami," he read off the profile. The entire room fell into shocked silence. "I just gotten this from Leira earlier. I pieced it along with the unconfirmed casualties report from Talga earlier as well as asking Kazuki and questioning a few other people."

"No way…" Hinata whispered. "You left her to deal with her childhood amnesiac friend?" she asked Sebun angrily. "You _know_ that Minami's extremely weak point is harming people that she knows! And what's more with that knight having no memories of Minami, he could've severely injured her and left her somewhere to die! Minami won't be able to retaliate because the same friend she was searching for so long, is on the side of the enemy!"

"We didn't know alright?" Sebun countered. "If we did we wouldn't have pushed her to the knight and let her deal with the blonde magician instead!"

Joe slammed his hands on the table to get everybody's attention. "We're not going to play the blame game now. What's done is done," he said. "Now we focus on the issue on hand: fixing the damages, keeping our defenses and getting the missing seven people back dead or alive."

* * *

**A/N: **Name Legend:

Hajime - Kellyn  
Dazzle - Keith  
Natsuya - Ben. Reiki is a name coined from 'spiritual' and 'tree'. I'm reading too much horror manga to come up with something like that XD  
Hitomi - Kate  
Hinata - Solana  
Minami - Summer  
Gindaki Iwakabe - An (admittedly dead) OC that I came up with. Hey, someone's gotta learn things from somewhere right? 'Gindaki' is 'silver waterfall', in reference to Silver Falls beyond Canal Ruins. Iwakabe is 'stone wall'. Because I'm lame that way XD  
Sebun - Sven  
Herb - Wendy  
Kazuki - Lunick  
Swee - Or _Sui_ which is 'water'.  
Talga - Rand  
Panema - Nema  
Leira - Leanne

Naname Village - Tilt Village  
Nurie Highlands - Chroma Highlands

_Mill Oculus _- I think it meant... eye window? _  
Nerezza _- Italian for 'darkness'_  
Erdbeben _- German for 'earthquake'_  
Alis Argenteis_ - Latin for 'silver wings' (I think)  
_Mur Léger_ - French for 'light wall' (Light-based spell for Light Screen)  
_Lucht Bladen_ - Dutch for 'air blades' or Air Slash  
_Rifiuto_ - Italian for 'reflection'  
_Ventus Ferre_ - Latin for... uh.. 'catching the wind' or something. It's in the previous chapters  
_Arcus Trabes_ - Latin for 'rainbow beam' or Aurora Beam  
_Primavera Erba_ - Italian for 'spring grass'  
_Aeris Impetum_ - Latin for 'air rush'  
_Latigo Espina_ - Spanish for 'thorn whip'... Apparently  
_Naminori_ - Japanese name for the move 'Surf'"  
_petalorum ruunt_ - Latin for 'petal rush'

Once again, translations are taken from Babelfish and Google Translate. And ohmygod it's the most amount of spells I ever had to look up. Never doing that again.

Guardians have the ability to copy their Channeler's human forms here. They can completely clone their Channelers or mix up a little like Suicune here.

Also a side note that, I read another fanfic here called Vatonage Revolution. I can really assure that the human Suicune here, is completely my idea. I had the idea of Guardians being able to take on a human form for some time now. Japaneserockergirl just happened to be ahead of me (AND WTF! SAME GUARDIAN AS MINAMI TOO! I would completely rant about it but I shall not be so immature). Just saying :D

Side note: I proofread until... around the part where Minami used blizzard. I haven't gotten the energy to finish proofreading it. If I did I'll just replace this chapter anyway. Oh yeah before I forget, anybody who can tell me the name of the magician who used Wide Guard (Japanese or English, I don't mind) with his relation in the games gets a special preview of a future chapter (subjected to random choosing)


	13. Iori, Rizumi, Hinata

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon Rangers from any generation

A/N: This... is officially one of my worse works, ever (in my own standards). Not only do I have to rewrite the whole chapter, I developed writer's block near the middle which never completely went away AND rushed the ending because I didn't want to get saddled with it every day. Also real world issues such as work screwing up, friends, hobbies. And the worst bane of all: school. Hell, universities and its complex database and inaccessible logins which I can't, for the life of myself, remember the passwords to.

Anyway, this is like a filler chapter. You know, not much going on and all. There will be a minor timeskip later on. ... Oh screw it, I JUST WANT TO WRITE OUT THE FULL MOON FESTIVAL ALREADY.

The following will be seen: OOC outbursts, nonsensical dialogue at the end, little plot, lots of filler and zero story progress.

* * *

A knock sounded on the wooden door. Edward creased his eyebrows. Who would be up this late at night? He received a call earlier from Purple Eye saying that they had commenced attack on Chicole Village. He should not be hearing from the messenger bearing the news of surrender so soon, that is _**if**_ they did surrender.

"Who's there?" he called out.

"Iori," the person replied. "I finished the project that Mirakado asked me to do, but the whole Council is away."

Ah yes he remembered now. Mirakado had roped in a young promising scientist from the academy where he was working at years ago in Almia along with Black Hall. He recalled Mirakado recently telling him about some new project he had tasked Iori to do and it would be a major breakthrough.

"Come in, come in," Edward said as he got up. A young boy with blond hair cut into a mushroom style opened the door with one hand, the other supporting a brown box. He closed the door behind him and placed the brown box on a spare table. Edward frowned. It seemed to be designed a little too simply for Mirakado's idea which tended to be more on the flamboyant side with extreme detail.

Iori seemed to read his thoughts. "I know it looks simple at the moment. All it has is just a meter, a compass and an antenna," Iori said. "But it works. Black Hall left him behind with me to test if it works because I can't use yours. A dragon is more obvious than a shadow."

Edward nodded. "So it does tune it to their aura?"

"Yeah. Here, let me explain how it works," Iori said, turning a knob. The meter immediately came to life, turning into the negative and positive area from periodically. "Alright. Mirakado was telling me that he found out that Channelers are able to sense other Guardians. So Black Hall came up with the theory that Guardians give off an aura, a type of energy, that only other Channelers are tuned in to because of their Guardians. He was saying that if we could sense other Guardians, we might be able to find their Channelers and recruit them to our cause. Black Hall lent me his Guardian to analyse the energy emitted and to detect similar readings. It took me a while but I managed to pinpoint the energy, a receiver to detect it and a needle to pinpoint where the energy is coming from. I tuned in to Black Hall's Guardian and it was able to detect his presence, even when it's in the castle and when I'm outside. Of course there are other Guardians which occasionally messed up my readings as they were all in one place. It should work outside where there are not many Guardians in one place. I managed to get a reading near Full Moon Temple where Kira is. Now, if I were to call Black Hall's Guardian here.." He waved to a dark corner where the lamp could not reach. A wispy white head emerged with a brilliant red scarf on the 'neck' of the entity. It had no legs and floated over to Iori. The meter on the box immediately jumped to the positive region and stayed there, not moving. The compass needle pointed to Darkrai, no matter how much Edward turned the box around.

"See? The moment Darkrai appeared, the meter immediately hit the positive mark," Iori said with triumph. "If we could tour the whole region, Fiore and Almia included, we can find Guardians. But there's one small problem with it."

"Which is…?" Edward prompted, looking at Darkrai with great interest.

"I don't have a Guardian without a Channeler to tune to, therefore I'm not sure if it works along with Guardians without Channelers," Iori answered. "I'm not Darkrai's Channeler so I couldn't ask. Black Hall also says that Darkrai doesn't talk much except when asking for favours and opinions. Also if the Guardian is too far from the antenna it won't detect the Guardian. The distance is at most 10 kilometers. I tested it with Darkrai at the extreme north of the North Wing and myself at the extreme south in the South Wing. I couldn't pick up a reading until we both moved to the entrance. Even so it was extremely faint. It could be the walls blocking the energy but just to be sure, I'm pegging it at 10 kilometers."

Edward nodded. "Yes, I can relate to that. Kira says Cresselia tend to be extremely chatty when in the mood. Then again Kira is always friendly with the castle people and talking to them as easily, even with that mystery woman in yellow always seen on the castle grounds. Pity she had to announce the prophecy to the King."

"Yeah," Iori agreed. "So now do I send this to Purple Eye? Or do I have to go one round around Aqua Town with it?"

"Send it to Purple Eye," Edward said. "If you're not getting a reading now, there's probably no Guardian around the detection range. Purple Eye is within range from Vientown. And if another attack commences within the next two days, Chicole Village as well. You know who to go to."

Iori smiled. "Yes Sir. Good night," he said and left the room, making sure that the detector is completely switched off. Edward sat down in his chair and stared at the ceiling as he mused on Iori's new creation.

"Other Channelers, eh…," he muttered. A pair of red glowing eyes appeared in a dark corner. Edward smirked. "How appropriate."

* * *

Rizumi strolled at her own pace despite Hajime's constant pestering. "You're so slow Rizumi," he chided when they neared the holding area. "She's going to die from blood loss and anti-magic sucking her energy away. She's been here for the past few hours."

"If she's a magician, she will subconsciously retract the amount of magical energy she has to balance out the amount being lost," Rizumi countered. "The only way she might possibly die is from blood loss. Which I'm pretty sure your dear little brother made sure of that. And it's only night time. According to you, she was brought here near sunset."

"It's just a cut," Hajime pointed out. Rizumi just looked at him. "Okay. A long gash." He felt the glare intensifying. "Fine. A deep wound."

Rizumi hummed in victory as she strode past Hajime. "You knights don't know how to control your strength," she commented as she headed towards an extremely large cage. "No wonder the prisoners tend to go nuts quickly in the castle prison."

Hajime shrugged as he unlocked the door. Rizumi was unable touch the cage due to the anti-magic coating it. Anti-magic, the element found to completely absorb magical energy by Angel Village's Research and Development team many years back. It protects objects against magical damage and absorbs magic spells indefinitely and neutralizes the energy. The stored energy is released as harmless corresponding elements. Or at least that was what Hajime remembered of anti-magic. Magicians have been shown to have extremely violent reactions to anti-magic. A common example was handcuffs. A magician imprisoned with handcuffs coated in anti-magic would be rendered unconscious in a matter of minutes. The anti-magic would absorb magical energy continuously. As magical energy is naturally restored by magicians, anti-magic would continuously drain them, leaving them with little to no magical energy to cast spells. Otherwise they could very well blast their way out of dungeons with relative ease. Rizumi looked at the girl lying on the floor without wincing at the amount of blood on the ground. It was not a lot of it but given the time that passed between now and when it was inflicted… Rizumi sighed. "You boys are hopeless," she repeated to Hajime. "Pass me the basin."

Hajime picked up a deep red basin beside the cage and handed it to Rizumi. "Hey, it's our job," he protested. "Not like I _wanted_ to deliberately kill her, you know. I'm not like the General. He has a sadistic streak."

Rizumi filled the basin with water magic. "Common knowledge enough for you to say it out loud huh?" she commented as she checked Minami's shoulder as well as lifting her chained wrists to inspect the handcuffs. She soaked a cloth in the water within the basin. "Where's Natsuya?"

"Sleeping off the trauma. Getting something to eat. Annoying Dazzle. One or the other," Hajime answered. "So how is it?"

"Nothing I can't do," Rizumi said while cleaning majority of the blood off. "I need her to wake up for a while though. Where's the other person that someone else brought in?" She noticed someone walking up to them. "Ah. Speak of the devil."

"Devil?" Hajime echoed before turning to look at the newcomer and squinted. "He does look pretty scary alright~"

"Who are you calling scary?" Natsuya frowned. "Weren't you the one who screamed like a little girl when we went for the New Moon Eve event at Nurie Highlands?"

Hajime tutted. "Details, details. Who needs them. Besides someone still clings to my back whenever we travel through Sorberlas Valley at night."

Rizumi let out a small laugh as she shook Minami's uninjured shoulder. "Hey. Wake up," she said softly. Both boys, oblivious to her intentions continued bringing up past events to mock the other. The brown-haired girl groaned softly before opening her eyes. Rizumi recognized the dazed and unfocused look. The effect of anti-magic on her handcuffs. It drains the magical energy of magicians upon direct contact. While not fatal, copious amounts have been known to be deadly. It causes magicians to be weak and vulnerable. An extremely effective measure against magicians who could probably blast their way out of a dungeon with extreme ease.

"You ok?" Rizumi asked when Minami finally managed to focus on her. Minami nodded slightly. "I'm Rizumi," Rizumi introduced herself. "Hajime called me here to treat your injury."

Minami mumbled something under her breath and attempted to turn to find Hajime. "Don't move please. I need you to remove your vest for a while. Are you able to sit up?"

"… I'll manage," Minami replied softly but clearly. She did manage to sit up although Rizumi could see the strain in her eyes. Minami shrugged off her red vest and Rizumi pulled the edge of the sleeveless top as far back as she could.

"This might sting a little, and feel different from other healers but this is my style. Alright?" Rizumi asked. Minami nodded. Rizumi's palm glowed pale pink and placed it lightly on the gash. The effect of instantaneous. A sharp sting struck immediately, causing Minami to wince in discomfort. Rizumi never faltered and kept her hand lightly on the gash. After a while the pain faded to a mild irritation. Although she could feel the pain ebbing away, it still felt different when Hinata treated her wounds.

"You… don't treat injuries like other healers," Minami commented quietly. "It feels more like… you're causing the body to grow at an accelerated speed."

Rizumi nodded in agreement. "I know. It's better than having to stick the edges of flesh and skin together," she answered. As if on cue, the pink glow pulsed a few times and dissipated. "Ah there you go. It's fully healed now. Except the scar which I can't seem to get rid of."

Minami shifted a little to get a better look. An all-too-familiar energy caught her attention instead. She placed a hand gingerly on the scar while trying to figure out where the energy came from. "Thank you," Minami muttered. "Although I just want to ask, what's your specialization?"

"Light," Rizumi answered. "I know… Light has the largest offensive spell pools ever yet all I do is healing. I probably won't even survive a fight with a Spirit type user if I could. I know so little offensive Light spells after all." The energy hit her stronger than ever. There was no mistaking it, the energy came from this friendly blonde healer.

"I see," Minami answered. "I'm Minami."

Rizumi laughed as she got up. "I know. Hajime wouldn't stop saying how you take every opportunity to test spells on him."

"I heard that!" Hajime replied loudly from the cage door. "Do you want to get out now or do you need more girl time with Shimizu?"

"Just open the door," Rizumi sighed. She turned to Minami. "I'll see you when I have the time. Right now I should be treating other soldiers. Bye."

The other magician's reaction was merely a nod. Rizumi left but Hajime and Natsuya stayed back. "What?" Minami snapped.

Hajime sighed. "The least you could do is be civilized Minami. That's the thanks I get for getting a friend to treat your injured shoulder. I'm hurt," Hajime chided in a mock sad voice. He supported both arms on the sides on the iron door. "Never thought you would on the side of the enemy."

"Save the formalities," Minami sighed. "Why aren't you going to kill me?"

Hajime tutted. "General's orders were to keep you alive. Come on, do I look like I really want you dead?"

Minami tilted her head before breaking into a small laugh. "I don't know. Maybe~," she answered. "Don't you have somewhere else you need to be?"

He blinked in surprise. "I think I do," he answered. He looked back at Natsuya. "Is there somewhere I need to be?"

"Yes. With Dazzle? At the camp entrance?" Natsuya answered in a deadpan tone. "You already shoved duty to Dazzle to find Rizumi. If anything else happens I'm so spilling the beans." Hajime's face went blank for a while before snapping his fingers.

"Thanks bro. I'll see you later. Watch over her for me will ya?" Hajime told Natsuya as he locked the door securely, leaving a stunned Natsuya behind.

Swee chose the moment to materialize behind the cage. He crouched down quickly to avoid catching Natsuya's attention. "You felt that too, didn't you?" he asked the magician quietly.

Minami nodded slightly. "That blonde healer, Mizuri or whatever her name was. The energy was so… _pink_."

Swee chuckled softly. "Didn't know you were able to distinguish aura colours Minami. Yes, that aura was pink, as you described it so directly."

"I wonder… But to be this faint while being near, the owner isn't from a lower tier. Am I right?" Minami asked.

"Yeah. She's from the first tier. It's none other than M—" Swee said but was cut off by Natsuya glaring down at him. With a sword pointed at his forehead.

"State your business and how did you get in here," Natsuya ordered. Swee smirked and vanished in a flash of blue light. That little stunt left Natsuya somewhat mad, as Minami observed. Of course with the intended target gone, his next victim was whoever the man in blue was speaking to.

"Who is he?" Natsuya demanded, turning to Minami.

Minami was somewhat stunned. Never in her memories had Natsuya been this… demanding with anyone else before. This was strange. Then again, eight years could do a lot to people. "Seeing as he disappeared on the spot, a magician?" she supplied unhelpfully. "I thought he was a spy who mistook me for one of them."

He looked unconvinced. "The next time I see him it won't be pretty," he muttered darkly.

"What does it matter to you anyway?" Minami asked. "It wasn't as if he was here to murder anyone in cold blood."

Her question caught him offhanded. He really had no idea. He had heard whispers behind him and saw a man in blue talking to Minami. He did not know what caused him to raise his blade against the man in blue, the fact that he appeared without Natsuya noticing or he was speaking to Minami. Come to think of it, why was his stomach feeling like it was burning red hot flames of hell?

"Shimizu Minami. He is not any of our people," Natsuya answered. "And he was in contact with you. Which could mean he's from the Revolutionary."

Minami disguised a snort into a cough. "Pretty sure if he was a recent recruit I would know," she answered. She kept quiet for a while. "You're angry," she pointed out. "Because he infiltrated the camp?"

Natsuya sheathed his sword. "I… don't know," he admitted, looking away. "Sure, infiltration is one thing. There's something else… I think."

"You think. You _think_," Minami repeated in disbelief, shaking her head. "That doesn't justify your actions."

Natsuya groaned as he ran a hand through his messy hair. "I really don't know alright? I can't remember where I come from, who I really am," Natsuya burst out. "It could be instinct, gut feeling, fragments of the past. _Something_."

"You're Hajime's brother, obviously. How else you're sharing the same family name 'Fuusei'?" Minami sighed.

"We're not blood related," Natsuya answered. "Why're you asking so much anyway? This isn't gonna be sufficient blackmail material."

Minami shrugged. "Curiousity. And since you asked so nicely, I won't bother probing. Since I could offer a solution to help, but you probably don't want to hear it anyway. The anti-magic is draining me so I'll take a short nap. Good night."

And the magician was out like a light a few mere seconds after she said it. Natsuya shook his head to process the information. "I'll get it out from you the next time," he told no one in particular and headed for the entrance of the holding area that held the cages. Swee reappeared, frowning after the boy.

"… Reiki Natsuya, the boy who cheated death," he muttered, remembering what the Lord of the Underworld had told him. "Already marked for the afterlife yet still wandering the world alive." He smirked to himself. "This is interesting. The Lord of the Underworld is waiting for you." He glanced down at the sleeping Minami and frowned. "And you better come up with a breakout plan before we're sent to the execution platform. I don't have time to find a new Channeler as talented as you." With those words, he faded away.

* * *

Hinata listened to the new battle strategy Sebun was telling the squad leaders about half-heartedly. She had no idea why she was here in the first place. She was not even an offensive magician, for Arceus's sake. She tuned out Sebun's voice and stared into space. Her mind stirred when Sebun explained about a night ambush. Something within the speech struck a chord in her.

"We will be relying on mostly our hearing," Sebun was saying. "Get used to having little to no light to help us. The moon is nearing its waning crescent and we have to settle this next week."

Hinata snapped into full alert. The moment Sebun mentioned the moon she remembered. She got up and left the meeting area quickly. Luckily she was seated at the back, so her leaving was somewhat inconspicuous. She headed to Hitomi's house where she knew the other girl would be at. And she was right on the mark for Hitomi was helping to clean the house. "Hitomi, when are you heading back to Oblivia?" Hinata asked.

Hitomi frowned. "Not until next week. Why? Are you going back already?"

"Yeah. I just remembered, the Full Moon Festival is in two weeks and most of the royal forces as well as our people would want to be back in time for it," Hinata explained. "So I have to go back first. I'll be telling this to Talga and Kira so that they can arrange for another healer to come here. For now I have to clear out the room Minami and I were using. I'll be leaving tonight."

Hitomi nodded. "Alright. I'll see you next week." Hinata smiled in gratitude and sprinted up the stairs. The room was a mess just as she left it last night. She held out her hand, glowing gray with a slight shimmer. Her belongings took on a silver aura and packed themselves neatly into a large bag. She opened a small portal and dropped the bag through it. She would see it when she went home anyway. With her stuff done and out of the way, she headed back downstairs.

"See you soon," Hitomi said loudly as she waved from the front door. Hinata waved back and went on her way. Left and right, she saw the same scene. Signs of damage, reparation, and a sense of cohesiveness. Everybody was willing to pitch in to help. Even kids were making themselves useful, doing small errands such as fetching water, carrying materials and the sort. She saw Axe hammering a plank into the foundations of part of a burnt house.

"Hey, you're the healer!" Axe called out when he saw her. He drove the rest of the nail in with one stroke and set down the hammer.

"How're you doing Axe?" Hinata greeted. "I haven't seen you since the first fight."

"Folks here won't let me fight," he grumbled. "Think I'm too old for it. Between you and me, I can take out about 10 normal soldiers."

Hinata sighed then laughed. "Maybe you should listen to the villagers, Axe. They have your interests at heart."

"Yeah, whatever," Axe said. "You got somewhere to go, don'tcha?"

"Uhhuh. The Full Moon Festival is in two weeks. I have a business to run back home. People would be looking for all kinds of spells for the festival," Hinata said. "Especially the ones for clothing change. It's been popular since I found out how to utilize memory Light spells. Good bye."

"See ya soon. And good luck with your shop," Axe said before returning to hammering.

Hinata waved to him and ran down the path to the field where Talga was camping at. In no time she was across the field and bursting into the tent. "Oh Hinata, there you are," Herb said from where she was drawing routes on a map near the table with a messy pile of papers. "I need you to do something for me."

"In a minute," Hinata told her. "Talga, I have to go back to Oblivia first. I have my own business to run and the Full Moon Festival is in two weeks."

"Sure, go ahead," Talga said. "Wire Kira about it when you reach home. Take Joe with you by the way." Hinata found Joe lying on one of Talga's couches, sleeping. She did not recall ever seeing him in the battlefield. Then again Joe specialized in recon more than actual fighting. "He has a few things he needs to plan with his squad. He's been out since last night spying on the Oblivia base camp."

Herb snapped her fingers to catch Hinata's attention. "Hey, don't forget about me," she teased. "I just found out one of the three golem's resting places. It's rather near here, in the Vien Forest. I still haven't cracked 'The wintry blue symbol of power' and 'the labyrinth below the black clouds'. As section leader, I'm going to find the golem and I'll be taking Kazuki for this. You don't mind I hope?"

"Why would I mind?" Hinata asked in confusion. "Shouldn't you be asking Kazuki for this?"

"Kazu-chan would never agree to anything unless you agree to it," Herb reminded Hinata. "Because you, as a worrywart, will often worry about the safety of others. Like Minami for instance."

"That's true," Hinata muttered. "When will you be leaving?"

"Since it's nearby, I'm thinking by nightfall," Herb answered. "You have until nightfall to tell Kazuki everything he needs for the preparation."

Talga handed Hinata a roll of weathered parchment. "This is for Kira," he said. "Hand it to her when you see her."

Hinata took the parchment. "Or maybe when I see Imachi."

"We'll see you back in Oblivia, in time for the Full Moon Festival," Talga promised. "And we'll have good news."

"I sure look forward to it," Hinata replied as she left the tent.

* * *

Name Legend:

Iori - Isaac  
Mirakado - Kincaid  
Black Hall - Blake Hall  
Rizumi - Rhythmi  
Hajime - Kellyn  
Natsuya - Ben  
Minami - Summer  
Dazzle - Keith  
Hinata - Solana  
Sebun - Sven  
Hitomi - Kate  
Talga - Rand  
Herb - Wendy  
Kazuki - Lunick  
Joe - Joel  
Imachi - Murph


	14. Minami, Rizumi, Blue Eye

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of Pokemon Ranger

**A/N:** THIS WAS ACTUALLY FINISHED LAST YEAR! (ehehhhhh...) But the ending sucked. So went on a (voluntary) sabbatical, found new anime/game, spazzed, recovered, spazzed, school, school, school, exams.. Yeah. The drill. Then, while writing for another fic, I had a brainwave, came back and edited the ending until I was satisfied.

Well... More filler. Ending is a subplot, the rest are just... Daily Lives of Friends on a Camping Trip (of sorts). Minus the humour.

* * *

"_So? What's your plan now_?' Suicune contacted Minami through a mental link. The magician was currently lying on a pile of straw given by Rizumi. She stared at the steel roof of the cage.

Minami maintained a blank face as she glanced at her side. '_We could always bust out here, but there's a potential Channeler here. Considering this is enemy camp, chances of being caught is rather high_.'

She could feel Suicune giving her a stoned stare. '_Basically, you have no ideas. And the anti-magic's gonna be a bitch to handle_.'

She allowed a small smirk. '_Anti-magic doesn't stop Channeler energy. Just wait for the right moment._' She sat up and looked outside. The sky was clear blue with fluffy clouds. She frowned a little, wishing it would rain instead.

Suicune snorted. '_If you have no ideas, then I can't help you. I'm outta here till you think of something_.'

Minami gritted her teeth. '_I said, we'll wait till we go back to Aqua Town. I'm more familiar with the area plus, this place is too sparse to find a decent hiding spot nearby. Where're we, Breeze Hill? The best place is Nurie Highlands, way off East. No way we're going to reach there in time._'

'_Good point. How long do you think that will take_?' Suicune asked.

'_Methinks the people here want to finish by Full Moon Festival which is in another 2 weeks. So around that time period_,' Minami answered. '_They wouldn't miss i—_'. Her sentence got cut off as searing pain shot through the right side of her face. She took a while to recover from being stunned. Looking up, she saw Blue Eye glaring down at her from outside. There was something gross dripping down her face. Looking down, she saw a vile purple substance on the straw, smoke emitting from where it made contact with the straw. Red drops soon followed

"You owe me an explanation, Channeler," Blue Eye said clearly. "Your specialty, Guardian and medium."

"I'm a water specialist, haven't you heard?" Minami answered back. She was pretty sure part of the skin around her jaw was melted off. It was a potent Poison bullet, small enough not to cause much damage but concentrated to the degree where it would cause problems. Like bleeding, for example. Red was blossoming around her jawline and rolled downwards.

"Your Guardian," Blue Eye repeated.

Minami shrugged. "He says he doesn't want to see you." She could feel Suicune rolling his eyes. She just did not want to answer this woman just yet. The blue-eyed woman narrowed her eyes in anger and fired another purple projectile at her neck. Minami's hands flew up to protect the yellow muffler, hissing slightly when her hands came into contact with the poison. The handcuffs around her wrists did its job by absorbing some of it and turning it into harmless clear water. The poison ate away the yellow fabric. Whatever was left barely covered the string of the necklace she used but hid the Crystal Bell from sight.

"Still don't want to tell me? Fine," Blue Eye said. She beckoned for a soldier at the entrance of the holding area over. "Open the door."

The nameless soldier did as he was told, unlocking the large padlock that secured her cage. Blue Eye stepped in. Despite being burned by poison, Minami stood up and glared at her opponent, her right hand clutching on to what was left of the muffler to the Crystal Bell. Blue Eye caught her elbow and jerked sharply, trying to force Minami to let go.

"_Geiser_!" Minami shouted as she closed her eyes. A large fountain erupted from the floor. Blue Eye's reflexes was fast enough to avoid it mostly.

"A water spell? How…?" She muttered. She closed in on the other girl and grabbed the front of her red jacket. "What did you do?" she demanded, holding the girl high enough that her feet barely brushed the floor.

Minami struggled in the woman's grasp. "Let me go! I have no obligation to tell you anything!" she answered loudly, trying to kick the older woman. A force pressed from the back of her mind. Someone wanted to talk to Blue Eye. Minami relaxed and allowed the other presence to take over.

Blue Eye watched warily as Minami slowly stopped struggling. Instead, a powerful aura flooded the area. She dropped the other magician and stepped back. Minami got up from the floor and stared at her blankly. Blue Eye's guard went up. The brown eyes which her looking at her hatefully were gone and in its place, brilliant blue eyes looked back at her. Blue streaks started to appear in her brown hair. Something had possessed her.

"Are you her Guardian?" Blue Eye asked.

"I wonder," she answered, her voice a mix of female and male overlapping each other. "If a partnership can be considered being the Guardian for this girl. I believe you have some questions?"

Whoever was talking to her is not the same person, that Blue Eye was sure of. If it was a Guardian, she had yet to discern its identity. "I do. I want to know, who are you, and your medium to the human world."

She laughed. "I am… not her Guardian in any sense. Our synchronicity has yet to reach the level of Oracle Kira Tsukihime to be considered of Guardian level. I am merely partnering with this girl for the sake of a request made by another Guardian. I will become her Guardian when the time is right. In the meantime, we're just… helping each other. She needs my power, I need her abilities to use my powers in the human world. No, her Guardian is someone else, for the moment."

"For the moment?" Blue Eye repeated. "Explain. How is one girl able to contain two Guardians?"

"Exceptions, haven't you heard of them?" the other one answered back. "Like I said, I'm only helping her while her current Guardian is someone else. I will be her Guardian when the time comes and that someone else will return to the dormant stage."

"Stop speaking in riddles. All I want is your identity," Blue Eye demanded.

The other smirked. "Me? I'm Suicune, embodiment of the North Wind. Pleased to meet you. I'm afraid I have to retreat for now. Goodbye, till next time."

The foreboding aura receded and the blue streaks in Minami's hair turned back to brown. The familiar undaunting brown eyes looked back at her. "Hope you got your answer," she said sharply and sat down on the straw. "I believe you're going to report the matter?"

Blue Eye glared at the younger girl. "I don't need your instructions. You, lock the door," she snapped at the soldier by the cage as she left.

Minami rolled her eyes. She directed what little of her magic energy to reconstructing the poison on the ground to harmless water. '_That, was unnecessary_,' she said mentally. She felt two presences in her mind this time.

'_Lui, you bastard. You stole the show_," Suicune accused the third presence.

'_I was saving you from unneeded trouble_,' a slightly older male voice shot back.

'_You were practically speaking the truth, for most parts anyway. The part about becoming my Guardian was a complete lie. I have to admire your way of bullshitting one of the experienced magic combatants from the castle and managing to make yourself look like Suicune, Lui. And you practically gave away Suicune's name_,' Minami pointed out. She realized that the Crystal Bell was still clutched in her hand in a death grip. Whatever was left of her muffler, she tied it up into a dead knot around the bell and tucked it into a hidden pocket in her shorts.

Suicune scoffed. '_I'll have you know that if they ever use a weakness to water I'm forcing you to possess Minami again_.'

'_She already IS weak to Thunder and Nature, what're you talking about_? _Although even if I am out in the field, I'll be prone to Thunder anyway_,' the third presence, Lui said.

'_Bring your unwanted arguments to your Guardian charms, I need sleep and I can't do it with both of you adding pressure to my brain and arguing like housewives at war_,' Minami said. Both presences retreated from her brain and she felt much better. She grimaced when she felt blood changing course, being pulled down by gravity. She did not have much energy left to neutralize the poison and heal herself anyway. Lying down, she fell into a deep sleep almost immediately.

Unknown to her, Rizumi was passing by with Natsuya. "I can't help you much," Rizumi told Natsuya. "This is the limit of my powers."

Natsuya nodded. "Sorry to trouble you, Rizumi," he apologized.

"No need, really," Rizumi answered, smiling. "But I know of someone who might be able to help you." She paused walking, glancing into the holding area for captured prisoners. Strange, she felt something there. Like the aura of water and an impending storm. "Did you… feel that?"

Natsuya gave her a puzzled look. "What?" he asked.

Rizumi shook her head. "Never mind. Must be my imagination," she assured him. "Anyway, once we get back to Aqua Town, I'll pull some strings to get you the location of a woman called Erida. She has the power to look into hearts and minds. She should be able to help you recover your memory."

"I see. Thanks for your help," Natsuya told her. "Really."

"You must be eager to unlock your past for some reason," Rizumi said. "Why?"

Natsuya shrugged. "On the battlefield, that girl… She said something and it caused my head to hurt really bad. And before that when we were on standby, there was a huge fire before a tsunami put it out. I felt really scared, like… I was going to be burned, killed by the fire."

"She… Minami said something and it caused your brain to go into overdrive," Rizumi told him. "Interesting… So she might have something to do with your past. Not that it's any great really. I mean, you were ten years old. How much impact can it cause? Maximum you should know her for five years, when you were starting to have a sense of self. Unless… Oh my!" Rizumi started giggling. "You knew her since you started walking… And really liked her a lot."

"What? How on Earth did you come up with that… that… ridiculous notion?" Natsuya burst out, his face flushing red. "Arceus, if I known her that well back then wouldn't the brain block have trouble flushing her out from my head?"

"It already has. She said something that caused a trigger, right?" Rizumi reminded him. "I heard you met her once before on the battlefield. Something has to have happened before."

Natsuya kept silent as they continued their trek to the entrance of the camp. "Actually... Yeah, triggers did happen before. I met her twice, once in Aqua Town and the second on the way to Nabiki Beach. The first time, I didn't talk to her. Hajime did. I felt like I should know her from somewhere. The second time, I saw a hallucination. It triggered the Light Barrier spell which I wasn't aware I even know."

"A hallucination?" Rizumi echoed. "Tell me more!"

"I saw the outline of a young girl, couldn't see her face at all. Whatever that magician did, the girl mimicked the same actions. They both had blue fire around their right hand and they said the same spell: Tempestaes Aquae. After that, I summoned Light Barrier, a spell I never remembered learning."

"That, is the part where the brain block failed to work," Rizumi pointed out. "If it really barricaded all your memories, you would never even have the gut feeling that you met Minami. When she summoned the spell, you would never have remembered to use Light Barrier. On the battlefield, whatever she said was a key and it broke part of your brain block, causing you to recover partial memories. This is great, I need to enlist her help right now."

Natsuya stopped her. "Wait!" he said suddenly. "I, uh… prefer not to. I'll confront her myself."

Rizumi raised an eyebrow. "You sure?" she asked, dragging out the last syllable. "Last time you did, you collapsed."

"Yeah but… I want to talk to her, face to face. Alone, without the adrenaline of battle. It should be much better this way," he answered. "Please Rizumi. I'll ask for your help when I need it."

Rizumi nodded. "How can I not agree, since you asked so nicely," she told him. "Have fun." She turned left, heading back to her medical unit in the camp. Natsuya let out a sigh of relief. Come to think of it, Minami had indeed caused all his memory triggers, which no one else has done.

'_A girl from the past, a labyrinth of memories. How will you handle it, marked one of the Underworld_?"

Natsuya whipped around. No one was behind him, or around him. But that voice sounded familiar. He squeezed his eyes shut. No point thinking about it, until he talks to Minami. He remembered the last time they spoke. She was sharp, sarcastic and avoided questions smoothly. There has to be a way to get her to answer him properly. He broke into a jog to the entrance of the camp. A faint shadow materialized where he stood previously.

'_You're a threat to me, along with the magician you captured. I'll wait for you to recover your memories, and deal you the harshest blow ever_.' It laughed evilly and faded. A reflective surface lining the dividers rippled. Black haze covered it and a pair of blood red eyes looked out. But it saw nothing.

'_You were here, Gatekeeper. I felt your presence. I'll drag you back to Hell and pass the Judgement of Arceus on you, even if I have to cooperate with a human to do so_'. It looked to the side. Natsuya had returned with Hajime, talking about something. '_Reiki Natsuya, I await our fated meeting_.' The reflective surface rippled and displayed the opposite side again. Natsuya felt something watching him. He turned to look at the reflection on the divider.

"What's up, Natsu?" Hajime asked.

"… Nothing," Natsuya answered, grinning. "You were saying?"

* * *

Kazuki idly tapped the desk with slow rhythm. Sebun was getting annoyed by the continuous noise. "Oh for the love of crap, will you stop that incessant tapping?" he finally snapped.

The younger boy blinked. "What…?" he asked. "Give me something to do then."

"Even if I need something to be taken care of, you can't do it anyway," Sebun told him. "I need Kira to send me the backup plan and I need people from Oblivia to pass the message for me but you have to stay here to assist Herb to find the rock golem. I need someone to tell Joe that he has to go back to Oblivia but he's in enemy territory and you fail at sneaking. You just sit here and wait for Herb."

He heard an aggravated sigh and smirked. Payback time. Kazuki toyed with a porcelain pink flower in his hand. Hinata had given that to him before she left, saying it was a charm she infused with Nature magic. Her reaction when she found out that Herb and Kazuki were up against a rock golem was, to say the least, understandable. She had insisted on going too but he convinced her to go back to Oblivia. Herb walked into the holding area, cutting into Kazuki's train of thought and Sebun's short-lived joy of revenge. "Kazuki, let's go," she said.

He blinked and looked out of the window. "It's broad daylight," he pointed out. "You said evening."

"I have eyes, yes I can see that the sun is shining outside. Change of plans, we need to find the place by nightfall," Herb explained. "Hey Sebun, anything you need to get done?"

"Yeah, tell Joe that Kira called him back to Oblivia. It's pretty obvious that this is going to end quickly as most of the people want to head back to the Full Moon Festival," Sebun told her without looking up from his stack of maps.

Herb's left eye twitched. She slammed a hand onto the table. "Would you pay any attention?" she demanded. "While the soldiers are likely to finish this asap, have you ever thought about the King coming here in person? You've seen him wipe out the now dysfunct Hia Town. What will happen to us? To this village? To Hitomi? We have to think of things like this! With Minami and Hinata gone, you're the only Channeler left in this place. The King has the ability to wrap things up in one day, in one minute perhaps. Then it's bye bye, back home we go to Aqua Town."

"It's useless!" Sebun argued back loudly. Kazuki cringed. Sebun was scary when mad. "Raikou is only a third-tier Guardian. The King probably has Arceus himself!" Herb gasped, her eyes going wide and her hand coming up to cover her mouth. There was uneasy silence for a while. Sebun looked away and kept the maps. "Sorry… But I really can't do anything if the King shows up. Raikou hasn't got the power to stop Arceus. Unless a first tier Guardian and a Channeler manages to make themselves known, this is a lost battle."

Something heavy dropped on the floor with a loud 'thud'. All three occupants looked up. Hitomi was standing by the only entrance, a large backpack on the floor. "Hitomi…," Herb started to say.

"What was that about a lost battle? Are you saying that you can't help defend the village?" Hitomi demanded, glaring right at Sebun. "You're a Channeler, with the power of Raikou. Surely you can do something!"

Sebun sighed and took off his cowboy hat. "What I'm saying is, even Channelers have limits. I don't have very high synchro with Raikou yet, not to Kira's extent," Sebun explained. "If someone comes in with a Guardian stronger than mine, we're as good as dead."

Hitomi shot Sebun a hateful glare. "Among Kira's values in the Revolution, there's a line that says 'Accept no surrender'. You're not upholding that very well," Hitomi told him and ran away.

Sebun slammed a fist onto the table, making both Herb and Kazuki jump. "… But I know a lost cause when I see one," Sebun muttered. Herb shook her head and headed to the door and gestured for Kazuki to follow her. She stopped at the entrance.

"Who knows, maybe a Channeler might appear," Herb told him. She left the holding area with Kazuki behind her. He kept looking back.

"Will… Sebun really be fine?" he asked.

Herb shrugged, looking worried. "If what he says is true, about the King having Arceus, things are worse than Kira thought," she said. "We need to wrap this quickly and head back to Aqua Town." She stopped and veered off course into a forest. She gave him a necklace with a silver feather pendant. "Wear this. It will help in our side quest. We're going to Nabiki Cave to find Joe first, send him back to Oblivia and head to Vien Forest. This will keep you invisible and afloat to prevent you making footprints on the beach." Kazuki pulled the necklace over his head. Immediately he felt much lighter. Looking down, his feet were barely brushing the blade tips of grass. Herb nodded in approval. "Great. I haven't activated the invisibility function yet, saving it for later. Let's go."

* * *

Hajime glanced into the holding area that held two people from the Revolutionary. "Hang on, I want to talk to Minami," he told Natsuya. "Wanna come along?"

"Sure," Natsuya answered. He had no duties, another day of rest. He heard rumours that they were resuming attack tomorrow. Besides there was a few things he could ask Hajime to ask Minami for him. He followed Hajime in.

They barely took ten steps when Hajime stopped dead on his tracks. He turned around quickly. "Go get Rizumi NOW!" he ordered. Natsuya blinked twice and looked past Hajime. In the iron prison of Minami, there was water, a vile purple substance and most importantly, blood. The right side of her jaw seemed to be melted, given the uneven way the flesh was showing and blood leaking rivulets down her neck. "Never mind I'll get Rizumi, I'm faster. Get the guard to unlock the door," Hajime told him before sprinting away. Natsuya cast a worried glance at the iron prison before calling the guard to unlock the door. The guard on duty did so unwillingly. Natsuya stepped in, feeling a little nauseous. There was water everywhere. The floor was soaked in it, the base of the straw pile was completely drenched, Small rivers were running away from the cage. In another area of the straw pile, was the vile purple liquid. Natsuya dared not touch it. It sizzled and hissed when he knelt down for a closer look.

"That there is poison magic," the guard supplied helpfully from outside. "Lady Blue Eye was here for a rather… intense interrogation. She hasn't called a healer for the girl though."

"How long ago was this?" Natsuya asked. He kicked the chains into the purple puddle. As expected, the purple liquid slowly turned clear due to the anti-magic absorbing the magic.

The guard shrugged. "Some ten minutes ago," he answered. "Is Hajime going to get a healer? I gotten a personal order from the General to keep both hostages alive. Won't help me a lot if she dies from blood loss. Ya better check for signs of poisoning on her, kid. Two of those purple pellets melted her scarf away and probably going to disfigure her for life if not healed on time."

Minami was currently asleep. Natsuya felt her forehead. It was slightly warm, but he could not tell if it was natural body heat or a slight fever. The gesture felt strange. Kind of… nostalgic, if he had to use a descriptive term. He heard rapid footsteps approaching. He saw Hajime and Rizumi running over. Rizumi took one look into the iron cell and went into serious mode.

"Natsuya, OUT," Rizumi ordered. Natsuya scuttled out as Rizumi pushed her way in. "She began casting Fire spells to clear the soaked floor. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to the small purple puddle on the ground that the chains had yet to purify.

"The guard said it was poison," Natsuya replied. "He said Blue Eye did it."

Rizumi let out an aggravated sound as she proceeded to cast various spells to keep the poison from further damage on Minami. "Stay out until I'm done," she told both brothers.

Blue Eye strolled up from the entrance. "And what are you doing here?" she asked them. Without waiting for an answer, she looked past the bars to see Rizumi casting various spells to repair the damage. "Oh that reminds me. Fuusei Hajime." The mentioned knight looked up immediately. "You are to head back to Oblivia with both captives immediately. Natsuya is to stay here and assist the main forces tomorrow. You will head back the day after."

"Understood," Hajime answered. "How am I supposed to go back with them?"

"By sea, duh. A squad will be here soon to move them as soon as Rizumi finishes. Natsuya, the usual place. Now," Blue Eye ordered. She strode off as the guard shuffled up to the iron cell.

"Heard the lady," he said. "Miss Rizumi, you done yet?"

"Almost," she replied. She cast one final spell, watching the body glow a pale gold aura before sighing in relief. "Minami will be fine. You called me just in time." She got up, and moved towards the door, but her foot caught onto something. She looked down to see a clear glass bell, the string partially eaten away. "Is… this hers?" She asked Hajime and Natsuya.

Hajime shrugged. "Should be. I don't remember Blue Eye having this around. She doesn't seem the types to carry bells around. "

Natsuya stayed silent, eyebrows furrowed. "Why would she carry one around?" He asked. Rizumi passed him the bell to have a closer look. A blue symbol resembling a capital 'H' written in a type of cursive way with hard angles at each corner was etched from within the bell. A smaller glass ball laid inside. A melodic tinkle sounded when it was rung.

"Sounds pretty, doesn't it?" Rizumi commented. Natsuya returned the bell to her. Rizumi placed the bell into Minami's right hand and curled her fingers around it to secure it. "Well, we're done here." She exited the cell, and the guard locked it up after her. "Lucky you, Hajime. You get to go back to Oblivia while Natsuya and I have to slave away until next week."

"Hayate managed to get our message through then. It is so not awesome to see people you know bleeding all over the ground," Hajime shrugged nonchalantly. "Natsuya, you better go first. Blue Eye doesn't like people to be late. You remember what happened the last time you overslept?"

Natsuya briefly remembered a scene of raining in the tent. "Fine, fine. I'll go," he conceded. "See you back at home, Hajime!" He took off for the beach.

"Get back home in one piece or Mum will murder both of us!" Hajime shouted to his retreating back. He gestured for the guard to lock the cell. "Whew… Thanks Rizumi. I really don't know how I'm going to answer to Hitomi if Minami ever got permanently scarred."

"Maybe she'll… do a roundhouse kick aimed for your head? Or legs?" Rizumi answered cheerfully. "Hitomi certainly was that when we were younger. I haven't seen her since."

Hajime sighed. "Same old, same old. I swear that the only thing that's keeping her from outright messing with my face is her more volatile employer." He jerked her thumb over to Minami. "You won't believe how homicidal she really is."

Rizumi laughed as she started to head out of the area. "You owe me Hitomi's story now!" she called out. Hajime quickly caught up with her and started to talk.

* * *

Blue Eye strode into the tent of the general. The guards let her into a division where Purple Eye was standing over a table with various maps and markers. "Sir, I interrogated the girl," she announced. "But she got possessed halfway by her Guardian who did most of the talking."

Purple Eye looked up. "Interesting, Commander," he commented. "So what did her Guardian say?"

Blue Eye kept quiet for a moment. "She has two Guardians…" She winced internally when she heard a loud slam on the table.

"TWO Guardians? That's not possible!" Purple Eye exclaimed. He paced around for a while trying to think of an answer. "Commander, she is being shipped back to Oblivia tomorrow, right?" Blue Eye nodded. "It's fine. I'll have one of the Councilmen to have a look." He glanced at a brown box beside the radio. Edward had sent this to him, claiming that it is able to sense active Guardians in an area. If that girl is gone then… He handed the box to Blue Eye. "Take this to the field tomorrow. If it acts up, follow the needle until you find the person it's pointing to."

Blue Eye looked at it. "Uh… Okay. What does it do?" she asked.

Purple Eye looked back to his maps. "It locates active Guardians. Channelers who are using the energy of their Guardians. If the Guardian is idle, it won't react at all."

Blue Eye frowned. They already isolated Shimizu Minami, the most widely rumoured to be the Protector of Aqua Town from the Revolutionary. She never got what went through the minds of higher ups anyway. "Understood, Sir. If you'll excuse me." She turned to leave the tent. Once outside she let out a breath of relief that she kept. Her orders were just to isolate the Protector and take Chicole Village. Maybe there was more to the ultimate plan of the King. She briefly looked in the direction where a very elaborate tent had been set up for the King. Mentally shrugging, she headed to her own quarters for a rest.

* * *

**A/N:** Imma be the mood killer here and just announce that Lui is Lugia. And Blue Eye isn't heartless, she just follows orders. Her orders were to make Minami talk: she's allowed to use violence, hence the poison bullet. Well true, there was blood but Blue Eye was going to find a healer until Hajime sent for Rizumi. I got burned by acid once. And no, it was not fun. Painful though. It was like burning away a few layers of skin and there was blood and my labmate went 'eewwww'. Had to be on alkali medication after that for a few days. That was years ago =w=

Next chapter will be proper plot stuff. No more fillers. It's proper plot crap. Already written 20% which are plot-based paragraphs. Preview should reflect that (when I change it anyway...). Oh, and I won't be replying to reviews. Exams start on Monday, but I have a 9 day break between 2 papers. I'll see what I can do in between that time

Geiser = Dutch for 'geyser'

Sheimi = Shaymin

Nurie Highlands = Chroma Highlands


	15. Minami, Hajime

**A/N**: I do not own Pokemon. Not the first nor the last not the latest generation.

If anyone asks, life was a complete pain in the ass. Also, extreme writer's block. Like, I've always been downtoning the scenarios in this fic even though it promises to be pretty... violent. So I had to go back and RE-write everything from chapter 15 onwards to make it, as per TVTropes, darker and edgier. 15 wasn't affected much due to the limitation of what I can do with it. 16 onwards is the festives so... yeah...

* * *

The waves were horrible. Hajime furrowed his brows at the gray sky. The navigator had told him it would be sunny throughout the day. But the clouds gathered the moment they stepped into Pueltown Harbour. With gray skies came choppy waves which rocked the boat nonstop. Although Hajime does not get seasick easily, the rough journey irritated him. The ceiling lamp swung left and right dangerously. Hajime eyed the lamp in fear of it dropping any moment. He glanced at the small room. Both prisoners were stuck in a horribly cramped box. Minami seemed fine. At least she was awake after being treated by Rizumi. She caught him looking at her and grinned.

"Beautiful day isn't it?" she commented sarcastically. "Cooling wind, the calm of the sea."

"You're absolutely crazy, you know that?" Hajime countered. "Why would anyone in their right mind sail the ship back to Oblivia in this weather?" He glanced at the other occupant. "Your fellow comrade-in-arms there don't seem too well."

Minami laughed. "Well, he's always been those who can't stand rocky ships. One of those land lovers."

Hajime huffed in irritation. Trapped with a seasick prisoner and a magician who did not seem to really care where she was. This could NOT get better.

The door resonated with a series of knocks. "Fuusei. It's me," a very familiar voice announced through the wood. Hajime scrambled up to open the door.

"Commander Yuuki!" he saluted as the white-haired Commander strolled in. "Why are you here?"

Yuuki spared him the briefest of glances. "Close the door and stand outside. Do not let anyone in. Clear?" Hajime nodded. He shut the door with a resolute 'click'. Yuuki faced Minami now that the younger knight was gone. The younger girl stared back impassively.

"If it's info y'want, you can f'get 'bout it," she drawled out in a Kokona accent. She promptly shifted to face her back towards Yuuki.

The Commander scowled, wanting nothing but the steel bars out of the way so that he can start to wring that scrawny neck. "You are every bit as unpleasant as Hajime says you are. And here I thought we could be on civil terms."

Minami shrugged. "Hajime's timing's one 'f a kind. He's always buttin' 'nto my assistant's workin' time. And no, I'm not sayin' 'nything."

"Not even your Guardian?" Yuuki probed.

"We Chan'lers swear by a blood oath. We die 'f we break it. Terms 'nd conditions to be a Chan'ler," Minami told him. "The Holy Reign 'f Kira Tsukihime shuln't be more 'en five years back."

"I know Kira. She did mention about an oath once. Didn't think she would be talking about Guardians," Yuuki clarified. "How's Kira?"

Minami leaned back against the bars. "Perf'ctly fine, Commander," she answered confidently. "I'll r'lay the message once I get outta here."

The white haired man glared at her. "You are in no condition to leave. Understand your position, magician. You are but a mere prisoner of war we captured from the battlefield," he said with an air of authority. "You'll be put under arrest from treason against the King and a trial of judgement when we reach the castle."

The other girl merely laughed. "In that case. Commander, is it?" she asked, her brown eyes bright and dancing with blue highlights. "I think it's about time you learned mine." The room plunged into pure darkness upon the last syllable.

* * *

_The only thing she registered was the unholy infernal heat she felt the moment she exited the cave that linked her town to Fall City. The night seemed brighter than usual. Great tongues of flame shot high over the tops of the trees as great meteors continued to descend from the sky to a location beyond the trees. For some reason, her legs took her past the rocky trail back to her town._

_Or what was left of it._

_Fiery debris lay everywhere. She was stopped by a man she recognized as a fellow villager. His family stood nearby, the wife ushering the children and other scragglers further into the safety of the forest. The descending rocks continued to hammer into the stone buildings as the wild fire raced across the town, devouring burnable materials quickly. Her mind went blank as she started to put up a struggle, desperate to leap into the raging inferno to find her family. She was held back by strong arms. Words of warnings and encouragement never registered in her brain as she saw the supporting beams of her house crumble_.

* * *

The weather took a turn for the absolute worse the moment they reached Oblivia waters. Waves rolled around them restlessly as the wind roared past the ship. The sky took on a depressed black while lightning peeked out once in a while from beyond the clouds. Hajime eyed the impending storm from the door leading down to the room keeping their Revolution cargo. It did not seem like a normal storm at sea. A loud 'BANG' sounded from below the deck. A strong wind howled through the corridors, effectively silencing all the oil lamps, torches and whatnot that were lighting up the dark pathways. Hajime grimaced against the force of the wind as he descended down the stairs, weapon at ready. The wind stopped. The corridor was eerily dark and silent. They were short on electricity since Thunder magicians were a little harder to come by than other specialties. Another loud 'THUMP' sounded further down the corridor. He drew his sword and assumed an offensive stance. The air turned heavy. Something big was happening. Another blast of wind nearly made him stumble. _The heck was that?!_ He thought as he regained his balance with the banister. Something felt weird. Something… really cold. He withdrew his hand. It felt wet to touch. Remembering a torch nearby, he groped his way around in the darkness as he shivered from the sudden cold that permeated the atmosphere. He fumbled in the dark into his pockets to find his lighter to light up the torch. The fire's warmth was a relief to him. He held the torch over the banister of the stairs. Small ice crystals glinted back at him as they melted under the heat of the torch. His eyes widened beyond belief.

The floor was slippery. Hajime had to watch his footing lest he slipped and fell. The door of the room that the two prisoners were kept in was wide open. Inside, the shattered remains of a steel cage, the huddled figure in the second cage and out cold on the ground was…

"Commander! Commander Yuuki!" Hajime exclaimed. He lit the extinguished torch in the room and found one more torch holder to hold his torch. "Commander! Wake up!" The white haired man refused to move from his position on the ground. He shook the unconscious body on the ground by the shoulders. Still, his leader refused to open his eyes. Hajime racked his brain for a solution. Wasn't his current leader supposed to be afraid of his sister or something like that? What's her name again, Maria? Meirin?

"Lady Mirai is missing from the castle," he announced with the blandest tone he was able to muster. That had the desired effect. Yuuki's eyes flew open as he staggered to his feet immediately. He saw Hajime standing by the remains of the steel cage.

"Oh. It's just you, Fuusei," he mumbled. "Damn, I really thought Mirai…" He trailed off the sentence without finishing it.

Hajime cleared his throat and gestured to the mangled steel bits on the ground. "Sure you're worried about Lady Mirai but I believe we have more pressing matters at hand Commander," he reminded the older man. No doubt that this was Minami's work. But he was pretty sure the cage and handcuffs used were _soaked_ in anti-magic gel before being used. They do have quality checking for prisons, thank you very much. Yuuki picked up the vibe as well. "The girl magician somehow broke out. Activate Ruby Code! We're going to recapture her, no matter what it takes!" Yuuki ordered. Hajime saluted and scuttled out of the room.

* * *

When the crew heard the activation of Ruby Code, Hajime never saw such a chaotic scramble before. Knights were gathered as well as a handful of normal soldier squads in a big holding room just below the main deck. Instructions from Yuuki were short and sweet but the meaning remained the same: to find and recapture Minami. Usage of aggression was allowed if the girl refuses to cooperate. Which Hajime highly doubt she would happily waltz back into the spare anti-magic steel cages they had in storage. His allocated area was below the main deck. While it helped in terms that he was not exposed to the currently vengeful weather elements, the tossing and turning of the ship is not really helping. He might have the tolerance of a god in the skies (according to one lady back in the castle long time ago, she was wearing an odd style of priestess clothing, come to think of it), his tolerance for the sea is not quite up to par. Yet.

He sighed out loud and followed his partner. They were both assigned to the storage room to search. His partner seemed to be the talkative type, just Hajime's luck. "The bottom-most deck available to us legally," his partner laughed. Hajime scowled at the casual remark tossed so carelessly. He swung the wooden stick he was going to have to use as a torch menacingly, hoping the other knight would get a hint. He did not, unfortunately.

"Keep quiet, Haruki. Unless you want Minami to hear you and somehow hide herself before we find her," Hajime told his partner icily as they descended the stairs to the dark storage room. The other knight just laughed it off, waving the torch to and fro. "Come on, Fuusei. What are our chances of finding her anyway? This ship is huge!" he explained

Hajime noticed movement behind Haruki. He cursed his luck. "Definitely," was his answer. The other knight did not get a chance to retort as ice crusted quickly from his feet, turning him into an iceberg in a matter of seconds.

"Impressive," Hajime said out loud. "I'm still not covering for you."

Minami stepped out from the shadows. She had been nice enough to stop the ice from forming all the way up to the torch. Now in lighting, Hajime noted something was off. Did the girl's brown eyes always have a red tint? She gave Haruki a look of distaste.

"You Almians always have this country feel," Minami informed him. "You're the one that Minami wanted to spare? An Almian?'

Question marks popped up around Hajime's head. Spare? Almian? What… His brown eyes narrowed and he held in sword in defensive. "Are you possessed?" he asked cautiously. While not a common occurrence, magicians have been known to be possessed by supernatural entities, usually Channelers. But Minami is not a Channeler, right…?

The other girl just laughed. Like let out an unearthly cackle type of maniacal giggling. "Water specialists cannot wield Ice and Air so freely," she told him. "Like this!" Turning around quickly, she fired a large icicle at Hajime. Hajime leapt out of the way just in time to see the icicle embed itself into the wooden wall behind him before dissipating into silver frost and sparkles. The gaping hole pierced by the icicle remained there. From the limited scope, the lightning is fairly visible from the dark skies. Rising black waves slammed against the hull of the ship, making the wood groan from the force. Minami glanced out of the window she created and frowned before smirking. "Love to stay to know you more, knight. But I have more pressing matters on hand," she said. "I can always get your details from my host anyway."

"You stay where you are right now!" Hajime ordered. He rushed towards Minami with his sword at offensive. "I have orders to apprehend you!" He brought up his sword to land a strike. Just as the sword was about to land, Minami narrowed her eyes. A large blast of wind sent Hajime flying into the wall.

"Can't have my host as a prisoner before she completes her goal," 'Minami' told him. "Oh. I nearly forgot your friend here." She snapped her fingers loudly and promptly faded away. The ice encasing Haruki exploded in a burst of silver frost and sparkles like the icicle from before.

Hajime dropped his sword in shock. "Are you ok?" he asked quickly. "No frostbite, no hypothermia or anything ice related?" He earned a strange stare from his partner.

"Dude… Fuusei, you ok?" he asked. "I'm fine. What happened?"

Hajime decided to quietly let out a sigh of relief with a 'I'm fine'. Maybe it was better off that his oblivious friend did not know about his previous status as a human iceberg. They searched the whole storage room but to no avail. After a solid thirty minutes of fruitless searching, they heard a commotion above deck. Yuuki barged into the storeroom, flustered and red-faced. He located Hajime quickly. "Fuusei! Get back to the deck!" he ordered. "We located the prisoner. You're to head upstairs immediately." He left after that, slamming the door behind him.

Haruki and Hajime stood in stunned silence for a moment. "So… What am I supposed to do?" Haruki asked Hajime. Hajime shrugged and walked up the stairs.

* * *

Outside was a flurry of movement. Huge waves rocked the ship ever so often while soldiers and knights alike ran in all directions trying to carry out their orders. Seawater at times would splash onto the deck while the ship's crews attempted to navigate the vehicle through the choppy waters. At the front of the ship, a few coloured lights could be seen flashing. Hajime assumed that they were caused by the very person who threw him against the wall earlier. He took one step in front and flailed to maintain his balance. A large wave had hit the ship, causing it to rock to the left. _This could get kind of tough… But I have to get Minami to stop all this madness_, he thought as he made his way carefully to the front of the ship as fast as it was possible for him.

He did not have to take long. Minami skipped to his direction while balancing herself precariously on the wooden railing of the ship. Soldiers and knights chased after her but a few familiar snaps had them all flying to the opposite end of the ship. Yuuki was among the crowd but unlike most of them who tried to sneak up on her and failed, he confronted her face to face.

Minami stopped on her tracks but remained on the railing. "I have no business with you, Commander," she sneered, eyes flashing red before changing to blue.

"But I have," Yuuki said before he drew his sword. "You, who have broken out and caused a mess and terrorized a ship bearing the royal flag, would have earned an automatic sentence to death. But we need information from you."

Minami giggled. "Sorry, but I don't want to tell you." She jumped high into the air and landed behind Hajime. Hajime yelped loudly and he was forcefully pushed towards the Commander. "Here. I don't need him anymore."

Yuki's face twisted into one of pure anger. He steadied Hajime on his feet. "Fuusei! Restrain the magician!" he ordered. Hajime gaped. What?

"Commander! Fuusei isn't a magician!" another of his soldiers called out, struggling to make his voice audible through the malicious rain and constant thunder. The ship tilted to its side. Hajime located a rope ladder near him and held on tightly. The choppy water is not making it easy for him to even travel to the upper deck of the ship. It was one of the worst storms that he encountered since training school. He had little doubt the small figure prancing along the edge of the ship had anything to do with it.

She laughed softly at their misfortune, treading her way across the wood easily. "So pitiful... Royal dogs," she giggled softly. She casted a silent spell, one of ice which encased the legs of the Commander, trapping him firmly to the wooden floor of the ship. She let out a harsh bark of laughter at Yuki's shout of horror upon his realization. She danced nearer to him and leapt off the edge. Stopping just out of his reach, she asked, "So you're THE Commander Yuki Shii I've been hearing about, is it? Foolish of you to be travelling back to Oblivia without a magician on board. An offensive one too."

"Damn magician! I'll have you executed!" Yuki shouted back. His hands were busy trying to free his legs from their icy prison. The ship tilted to the other side dangerously once more. Soldiers attempting to help him all lost their balance to the lower end of the ship and fell into the raging ocean.

She gave a Cheshire grin, her blue eyes glittering with power and mirth. Rain hit them hard yet she felt no pressure or the freezing breath of the howling wind in her sleeveless vest and denim shorts. The badly damaged muffler of hers was discarded sometime during her jailbreak and the bell of her necklace jingled cheerily. "You shouldn't execute a defenseless young lady just because you didn't have the means to keep her trapped in a wooden box," she chided, shaking her head gently. "And to get to that one girl, you're jeopardizing what little forces you already have."

Yuki stopped struggling and glared at her. Hajime noted that Yuki's hands had been sliced to ribbons by the sharp ice and had stained the crystal red. He swung himself over to another rope net just in time to hear their next conversation. "You aren't that magician, are you?" Yuki asked her as his eyes narrowed. "From what I heard, Shimizu is stubborn but not ruthless."

A loud maniacal laugh tore through Minami's throat. It set all of Hajime's defenses on the highest alert. "No, I'm not," she clarified to the stunned Commander. "You have my highermost boss under your King's complete control. And I will see to it personally that the King of yours will be completely decimated before us Guardians' very eyes."

She knelt in front of Yuki and touched the ice gently. The ice expanded in an instant, covering him up to him neck. Yuki's expression was one of pure horror as the ice crept up to his face. "Who... are you...?" he snarled out.

Minami got up and turned away to face the ocean. Her head turned back to Yuki and gave him a slasher smile. "Me? I'm a Guardian possessing this girl. My alias is Lui. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Commander."

She leapt backwards and landed perfectly on the railing where she stood on previously. "And it looks like we're here," she announced as she skipped along the edge. "Oh, before I forget…" She snapped her fingers once. The ice that once trapped his legs burst into a flurry of silver sparkles. He collapsed onto the ground immediately after the ice shattered, his legs already numb from the cold. "See you next time, Commander!" And she jumped off the railing.

"MINAMI!" Hajime exclaimed after her small figure vanished when she leapt out. He raced to the side to scan for the red and blue that he knew well. Instead, he was met with familiar cobblestones of the Aqua Town harbour. Shrouded figures dashed to and fro around the harbour, throwing looped ropes and trying to hook onto the ship. He threw out a few ropes over the railing that were tied to the main mast to the figures below, which he knew where lower rank navy soldiers were stationed to patrol the Aqua Town territorial waters. The storm miraculously calmed down after the fiasco. He was finally able to see sunlight after hours in the small cramped room, then running on the deck during an all-out storm. He collapsed onto the deck, the adrenaline of the events starting to wear off. He briefly heard someone calling him. He saw Yuuki waving to him from his spot where he was frozen at.

He managed to stumble over. "Yes Commander?" he asked.

"On the morning after the Full Moon Festival, I want to see you, Dazzle and Natsuya," Yuuki told him. "Go help the others to anchor the ship and pull it into the royal yard."

Hajime rolled his eyes as he bowed in acknowledgement and headed off. All that fuss over one girl who managed to break the holding cell. "Just get a Thunder magician and set it on her, solves everything," he muttered angrily to himself as he caught one of the ropes thrown onto deck.

* * *

**Legend:  
**

Minami - Summer  
Yuuki - Garett  
Hajime - Kellyn  
Dazzle - Keith  
Natsuya - Ben  
Mirai - Tiffany

Haruki - OC

**A/N:**

Kokona accent is based on the Tohoku accent which, according to some Japanese tour guide, a 'village slurring accent'. Therefore the lack of vowels.

The italics is in Hinata's view. No (real) prizes for guessing who's the main focus in 16.

Quite short at like, 3.5k words because it's not really that dramatic (personal opinion). Festival not really that festive coz standing at 5k words, it was, meh. I always found Hajime like those passive-aggressive type who can be reeeeeeeaaaaally kickass if he wants to. I've always downgraded him to be more of a pacifist instead of his recklessness shown in the manga. But when push comes to shove, hehe~

And another thing is... Using their Japanese names are so tiring. While they do sound nicer in Japanese in their original glory and meanings, using the English given names is more convenient.


End file.
